Going to Take Care of You
by Neverstop13
Summary: Annabeth works as a maid with her friends. She recently quits and goes out with a bang, so to speak. She's tired of everyone that she works for being mean and treat her like she's some sort of animal. She wants to work for someone nice; and she meets Piper and Jason. The couple are trying to build a family, but that all goes wrong while Annabeth deals with a guy named Percy.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys, I'm back! So after How Love Feels, a lot of people wanted me to do another Jasper story. Well, this is kinda it. It's also got a lot of Percabeth in it. Piper and Jason don't show up in this chapter, but they will eventually. Don't worry.**

**So I kinda/sorta got this idea when I was watching The Help (Awesome movie, by the way XD) but it's not going to be exactly like that. I'll be doing this story alongside with Nostalgic in the Percy and Annabeth category so...yeah. **

**This story probably won't be as big as How Love Feels, maybe only a couple chapters. But that might change if I get an idea. But I still hope you guys like it! **

**I do not own PJO.**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

"You cannot clean dishes right! Look at this mess!" The woman with shaky hands, trying to find something to murder, screamed. She looked as if she was going out of her mind with her stringy and greasy dark hair hanging messily around her face. She ran a hand through it. "Annabeth, after all these years I've known you and I come home to a mess!"

Annabeth felt terror and anger surge through her. She gripped the towel in her hands. She was going to get around to washing the dishes but she had been too busy helping her boss's kids getting cleaned up from finger-painting. But the mom—this woman—came earlier than usual, and that was much unexpected.

Her eyes widened and her eyebrows went to her hairline. "_I_ can't clean dishes right? After one day, and _that's_ the result you come up with?"

"Oh, don't talk all smart with me!" She yelled at Annabeth. "I'm sick and tired of that and you thinking you're _better_ than me!" at the emphasized word, she threw a towel at her.

Annabeth gasped sharply and stepped back. Tears started to sting her eyes and she couldn't believe that she was saying this to her. Annabeth has been working for her for almost two years, with a perfect house and meal and the kids all nice and cleaned up—everything ready and exactly how she liked it when she came home from a long day at work.

Annabeth threw the towel on the ground. "I don't _think_ I'm better than you; I _know_ I am," she sneered, "whereas _you_ can't take care of your own children!"

Now the other girl was the one to gasp. "How _dare_ you! You work for _me_!"

"Not anymore!" Annabeth cried with a smug look and she spread her arms out wide.

There was crying and screaming from the other room as she heard her boss's husband try to calm down their five kids.

"Because I quit!" Annabeth screamed and started to put together her things. She had been so faithful to them that they even let her have a room to stay overnight if she had to. "You know, I'm not even sure why I bothered working for you anyways! Such a huge family in a huge house! No one else would've wanted to clean it all up!" She waved her arms around.

It was true. The family lived in a two-story mansion with over five bedrooms and five bathrooms—and that only meant more to clean. None of her other friends (who were maids) wanted to clean all that up.

"I guess," Annabeth paused and said with sarcastic innocence, "maybe it was because it would be more in the _pay check_!"

The woman growled and started breathing heavily. She had evil in her eyes and that was when Annabeth no longer saw the sweet woman. She saw the dark monster that her boss really was.

"You're _not_ quitting! No, you're gonna get it! You are _fired_!"

"Oh, please," Annabeth scoffed, "I already quit so save your breath!" she zipped her bag up. "I'm out of your lives forever!"

The woman started screaming and fuming so angrily that she started stomping her feet like a little kid having a temper tantrum. She grabbed the closest thing to her—which was a dirty pan, and raised it high above her head like she was going to throw it.

Annabeth stopped and gestured to herself. "Yeah?! What are you gonna do, hit me?! Throw a pan at me?! Bring it!" She dared. She was angry and she finally just couldn't stand this place or this madwoman.

She could see the thrust beginning to form in the woman's arm, but suddenly, her husband jumped in front of her and put her arm holding the pan down. "Honey, listen, this isn't going to solve _anything_!"

The woman gave him a glare and started cursing.

"Look," he said, "I know you feel bad because you got fired—"

Annabeth halted. Her boss got fired? This was the reason for all of this? Even though she had to deal with all the messes and fights and crap with this woman, she still thought she could still take everything out on Annabeth?

This made her blood boil.

"Fired?" She asked.

"Don't you say _anything_," The woman spat from behind her husband.

He gave Annabeth a look saying: _You should listen to her this time._

Annabeth scoffed and wasn't going to take this the easy way. "So that's why you came home early," she said sweetly. "That's why you took everything out on me because you just couldn't stand the fact that another person thought you couldn't lift a finger." She spat back.

She started to glare at Annabeth and the husband had a look on his face like: _Oh, great. Here we go._ And he gripped the countertops so that way he could trap his wife so she wouldn't murder Annabeth.

"That's why and I bet anything that you had already planned to fire me because if _you_ didn't have a job, neither could _I_!" Annabeth then said in a lower voice, "So I guess I _am_ better than you,"

She thrashed out at Annabeth, but her husband held her down and Annabeth stepped back and walked swiftly out the door.

"I will make sure you never get a job as a maid _again_!" She screamed. "You will _never_ walk into this house ever again!"

"Wasn't planning on it!" Annabeth hollered over her shoulder and then she climbed into her car and drove away.

* * *

"Wow, you really handled her," Thalia said as she slumped back in her chair.

"I can't believe she would do that to you," Hazel said as she and Rachel were standing by the counter, fixing sandwiches for them all.

"I could," Annabeth said tiredly. "It's not that hard to believe."

"You'll find someone else to work for," Thalia said as she flipped out a card, playing solitaire by herself.

"I don't want to work for anyone," Annabeth said as she leaned forward and put her chin on her fists. "I feel like a savage when I do. Like I'm owned. And they treat me like they own me and can order me around."

"Well…I hate to break it to you, Annabeth, but you _do_ work in a maid service." Hazel said, "People are gonna order you around whether you like it or not."

"I know and I hate that. Why do they have to be so cruel, too?"

Rachel said, "I know how you feel, Annabeth. One wrong move and I get ten dollars cut from my pay check. It's ridiculous. They think we have no other talent." She walked over to their small table and sat down with a plate of sandwiches. She had her frizzy red hair tangled back into a knot. "But we do and they just don't care."

"I'm sure there's someone who cares about our lives other than being a maid," Hazel said as she made her way to them with another plate of fruit.

"Well, I've had it with people who just scream and bark orders at me all the time." Annabeth leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest. She reached forward and plucked a strawberry from the plate of fruit. "This time, when I find someone to work for, I want them to be like my friend. Someone who's actually nice and cares."

"You're crazy," Thalia said, "a stranger won't be nice to a maid. Suck it up."

"No," Rachel said as she nibbled on a sandwich. "Annabeth's right. I've had enough of it as well."

"Do I hear someone quitting?" A deep voice asked and they suddenly appeared at the kitchen door. It was a man with sandy blonde hair with a scar crossing over his eye.

"Annabeth did." Thalia said without looking at him.

"Annabeth?"

"I didn't really, Luke. I quit and got fired from the Jefferson's house."

"Oh…" Luke trailed off as he sat down in a chair next to Annabeth and he put an arm around the back of her chair. This made Annabeth blush, thinking that Luke was so close to her.

"Do you need help finding a new place to work?" Luke asked.

Annabeth was about to say yes, just so she could spend time with him, but then she stopped herself. There were more important things than wanting time with someone you like. She shook her head. "I can do it myself."

"I'll do it; I can help, it's no big deal," Luke insisted.

"No, it's okay. I want to find someone myself."

Luke opened his mouth to keep protesting, but Thalia said, "Luke, she's got it, okay? Stop babying her."

They looked at her, shocked.

"I know you're our friend and all, and you're trying to help us find people to work for, but…" Thalia trailed on.

Annabeth filled in, "I wanted to find someone on my own. She's right; you need to stop babying me."

Luke blushed and he leaned back against his chair. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Annabeth looked away and a silence hung over the table.

"Right, so anyone want any fruit?" Hazel asked with a smile.

* * *

A couple days later, Annabeth stood in front of her mirror and smoothed down her blouse. She wore jeans and the light purple, button-up blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She had made some calls and her friends were even mentioning her to the families they worked for in case they had a friend that needed a maid.

Some people had returned the calls and asked her to come to their house for an interview. She was so excited to finally meet someone new and they sounded like good people on the phone, but you could never be sure.

Annabeth quickly grabbed some breakfast and then walked out the door.

The house was almost as big as the Jefferson's and when she pulled up to it and saw how big it was, she let out a groan. Annabeth stared exasperatedly at the house and then softly thumped her head against her seat. She whimpered and asked to herself, "Why do I always get the big houses?"

She groaned and then heaved herself out of the car. When she finally walked up to the door after the long and winding driveway, she knocked on the fresh white paint.

The door opened and a lady with blonde hair wrapped up in a neat bun and wearing a white skirt and blouse, stood behind it. She had a smile on her powdered face. "Hi, you must be Annabeth,"

Annabeth weakly smiled back. She felt more out of place than the last house. But nevertheless, the woman said, "Well, I'm Mrs. Smith," she held out her hand and Annabeth shook it. "Come on inside."

Annabeth stepped inside and followed Mrs. Smith to the kitchen where she prepared tea and Annabeth sat awkwardly at the island.

"So, how long have you been a maid?" Mrs. Smith asked.

"About…five or so years by now,"

"Hmm...So you have experience."

"Well, I'd like to think I do," Annabeth smiled.

Mrs. Smith laughed and brought Annabeth a cup of tea. "So who was the last family you worked for?"

Annabeth took a sip of her tea and the almost choked on it. "Pardon?"

Mrs. Smith blinked. "Who was the last family you worked for?"

Annabeth knew that if she gave the right answer, she probably wouldn't get the job. She took one look at her cup of tea, knowing that it was probably the last she'd see it.

She looked back up at Mrs. Smith and smiled. "The Jefferson's,"

Mrs. Smith's smile faded. She blinked again. "But their last maid…" she trailed off and then comprehension spread across her face and she clenched her jaw.

"Well, I should be going now," Annabeth said and distastefully set her cup of tea down and walked out of the door without another word.

* * *

Annabeth couldn't believe how fast word went around after that. Mrs. Jefferson must've been friends with Mrs. Smith, and after she had heard that Annabeth had gone job-looking after what she had done to Mrs. Jefferson, word spread to everyone else.

When they opened the door and found Annabeth standing there with a smile on her face, they'd say that they already found someone and close the door on her with her smile fading. And then she'd walk back to her car, her heart feeling heavy with exhaustion and anger.

"They didn't think I would notice that they were lying," She said to herself through gritted teeth in the car. "But they were wrong. I know it was that monster, Mrs. Jefferson," Her nostrils flared and she shook her head.

She sighed and decided that she needed some coffee. Annabeth drove to a café and ordered it and then slumped in her seat, closing her eyes and wishing it was all a dream. She almost drifted off to sleep, but then there was a huge crash.

Someone cursed.

"I'm sorry!" a man said nervously.

"Look, you hold it with both hands for the rest of the day, okay?" a woman said. She looked like steam was about to come out of her ears, she looked so angry.

They were behind the counter and it looked as if she were the manager. The man, who apologized, looked as if he had just started. He had black hair, and that was all Annabeth could see since his back was to her.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Gosh," the man said.

"Now, go give the girl her coffee."

"Which girl?" The black-haired man turned around and Annabeth's heart seemed to stop. The man's eyes finally set on her and she quickly looked away. "Oh, her," he mumbled.

He took a small tray with a coffee cup on a saucer and walked over to her like he was balancing on a tightrope.

"With two hands!" The woman who was teaching him scolded.

"Uh-huh," he said and pretended like he was holding it with two hands, but Annabeth could really see that it was still one hand.

The man finally got to her and she said a small thank you. She finally looked up at him in the eyes and found that they were a strange sea green.

"One coffee," he said.

She nodded and took the coffee that he was handing her. "Thanks, Percy,"

He stopped and stared at her and blinked uncomfortably. "D-Do I know you?"

Annabeth looked up from her coffee. "No,"

"So how do you know my name?"

"Your nametag," she nodded to his apron.

Percy looked down and realized that she was right. He laughed nervously, and a little relieved. "Oh, yeah; right,"

Annabeth smiled a little.

"Right, well enjoy your coffee," he said.

"Um…thanks,"

Percy walked back to the counter. "How was that?" he asked his manager.

"Better than last time," she grumbled.

Annabeth couldn't help but chuckle. She sipped her coffee to try and forget all that Mrs. Jefferson has ruined for her. It was hard to do seeing that she was the reason she didn't have a job even after multiple families.

Percy handed another customer their drink and they payed him and then walked out the door. He began to wipe off the table.

Annabeth set her cup down on a coffee table in front of her and then put her head in her hands. She couldn't believe that this was happening.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Percy's voice asked.

Annabeth didn't know that he was talking to her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked again but Annabeth realized no one answered. So she lifted up her head to find that he was looking at _her_.

She blinked and stuttered. "I'm fine,"

Percy rose and eyebrow. "Wow. I didn't know that putting your head in your hands helplessly was the new definition of 'fine'."

Annabeth glared at him. "It's none of your business."

He shrugged. "Hey, don't get onto me about it. I was just trying to cheer you up."

Annabeth looked away.

"So what's wrong?" He asked.

She gave him the glare again.

"What, now that I know something's wrong, shouldn't I at least know _what's_ wrong?"

"_No_," Annabeth said like he had gone crazy.

"Well, why not?"

"Because you're a stranger. I don't even know you. You don't even know my name. There's no reason for you to know what's going on with my life." Annabeth snapped at him.

Percy was quiet for a minute and he jumped over the counter because the manager wasn't looking. He put away his towel and began cleaning off the cups. "So what is it?" he finally asked.

"I _told_ you—"

"Not that," he interrupted her. He looked back at her and his green eyes were twinkling. "Your name,"

She stared at him. "Annabeth,"

"Annabeth? That's different," Percy smiled. "I like it."

Annabeth blushed. "Thanks,"

Percy nodded with a smile. They were quiet for a minute until Percy asked, "So you're not going to tell me what's wrong?"

Annabeth took a moment to suppress her smile. "Nope,"

"Ah, I figured."

She stood and walked to the counter, bringing her drink with her. She moved it across the counter to him and the coffee sloshed a little.

"You didn't even finish your drink? Come on, I spent forever making that, you know," Percy complained as he ringed up the cash register.

Annabeth shrugged. "I just didn't want the rest of it."

"That is a waste of coffee." Percy said as he dumped it in the sink. "But it's still a dollar fifty."

Annabeth gave him the money and he put it in the cash register. The receipt rolled out and he began to write on it. Her eyebrows furrowed at him and he gave it to her.

"Unless you ever want to talk about what's wrong." He said.

Annabeth looked at the receipt and found a number was written on there. She smiled. "Thanks, Percy, but I don't think I will."

"Will I ever see you again?" he asked.

"Maybe; if you don't get fired,"

"That would be bad. This is my first day."

"I figured."

"Is it that noticeable?"

Annabeth gave him a look.

"Yeah, well, I guess coffee-making isn't really my thing. I just needed a job, and this was about the only one I could find and my mother approved of."

"Your mother?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

Percy shrugged. "I don't live with her but you know how moms are. They still look out for you even when you're old."

Annabeth blinked and looked away. She didn't exactly have a mom. She nodded and Percy didn't seem to realize anything.

"I gotta go," Annabeth said and she walked out the door.

"Oh, okay…bye," his voice faltered. He was about to turn away from the counter to learn more about making drinks, but then something caught his eye. "Hey, wait a minute," he called, "you forgot your receipt!"

But Annabeth was already out the door.

* * *

**So there's the first chapter. How'd you guys like it? Tell me and review! **


	2. A Litte Seaweed Helps

**Hey, again. Sorry it took so long for the second chapter, I was busy and would've had it up yesterday, but I was with family and stuff. And before that, I was updating my other story, Nostalgic. Anyways, so here's the second chapter and it's pretty long :) I do not own PJO.**

* * *

"Why is it so hard to find someone?" Annabeth grumbled as she laid her head down on the table.

"Dude, you've gotta give it time," Thalia said. "It's cool."

"So tell me about this Percy guy you met," Rachel said.

"He's just some guy," Annabeth said. She lifted her head up sharply and narrowed her eyes at her. "Why do you care?"

Rachel shrugged. "It's just a question."

"Uh-huh," Hazel retorted lazily. "Sure…"

"I bet he's just one of those guys who flirts, but doesn't mean it." Thalia huffed.

"Aw, don't be too harsh on the guy, Thalia," Luke said.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed, "because I was thinking he reminded me a lot like _you_." At the emphasized word, she pointed at Thalia.

"What!" She spluttered. "Yeah, right! I barely even know the guy!"

"Which is why you shouldn't judge him," Rachel said.

"Please," Thalia scoffed, "you're just taking his side because you think he'll be cute and you'll date him."

"Besides, we already know he's after Annabeth," Hazel smirked.

Annabeth glared. "I barely even know him either. I don't understand _why_ he'd be after _me_."

Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "So you didn't find anyone today?" he asked.

Annabeth shook her head.

"You sure you don't need help?"

"_She's sure_!" All the girls snapped in unison.

He put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay, jeez. No need to get snappy," He stood and walked out of the room. "See you guys later,"

Thalia shook her head. "The nerve of that guy,"

"Percy?"

"No, Luke,"

"What about him?" Annabeth asked.

"No reason. So answer the question everyone's dying to know: _are_ you going to see this Percy guy again?"

Annabeth shrugged. She was about to answer when the phone rang and she lunged at it like a cheetah.

"Hello?" She asked into it.

"Hi, is this the number for a maid?" the other line asked. It was a woman.

"Yes, ma'am. Do you need one?"

"Actually, I was asking if Annabeth Chase was there."

"This is she speaking,"

"Yes, well I'm Miss Ogygia. I heard that you've been asking around for a job as a maid. Well, I might have one for you."

"Really? Oh, I'd be delighted for that." Annabeth answered as a grin split across her face.

"How about you come by tomorrow and we can discuss the basics?"

"Absolutely," and with that, Annabeth got her address.

"Who was that?" Hazel wants to know.

"Some woman who goes by the name Miss Ogygia," Annabeth answered. Now that she came to think about it, that was a pretty interesting name.

For some reason, it reminded her about Percy. She began to decide if she ever was going to see him again. She pondered if she was ever going to tell him what was wrong.

"I've heard some pretty strange things about her," Rachel said, "I don't think you should take the job."

"There's no one else that'll take me because of stupid Mrs. Jefferson. God, I hate her. I have to take this job. Why, what've you heard?"

Rachel shrugged. "It's nothing; probably rumors."

"I heard that she deals with a lot of men." Thalia said bluntly. When she saw the looks Hazel and Rachel gave her, she responded defensively, "But you never know."

Annabeth pursed her lips and she began to get a bad feeling in her stomach.

* * *

The door opened after Annabeth knocked and standing there was a beautiful woman. Her hair was like caramel gleaming in the sun and it curled over her shoulders. She had warm chocolate eyes and a smile that greeted Annabeth in.

"Hi, Annabeth," she said, "you look so much prettier in person. Not like what Mrs. Jefferson has said."

Annabeth's smile faltered. "Yeah, I bet,"

"Come on in."

"Thank you, Miss Ogygia."

"Oh, you can just call me Calypso."

"Okay, thank you…Calypso." Annabeth felt a little awkward calling her boss by her first name. But nevertheless, she thought it was the start of something good.

Calypso showed Annabeth around the house and began to explain all that she would need help with.

"Will I be meeting your husband?" Annabeth asked as her eyes wandered around the grand living room.

Calypso seemed quiet and like something was bothering her. "I don't have a husband," she finally answered.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"It's alright, Annabeth. I know you didn't."

There was a pause and the air seemed awkward to Annabeth.

"Right, then," Calypso moved on. "So that's all you need to know for today. Unless you're going to stay…"

"Of course I'll stay! I'd be more than happy to be your maid."

"Wonderful!" Calypso grinned. "Most maids normally turn me down by the second day, but I'm so happy you'll be with me!" She turned and walked toward the kitchen.

_Well, that's odd_, Annabeth thought. And she wondered why most would turn her down. She seemed so happy and loving and care-free. But then again, she did say that was all she needed to know _today_.

"So I suspect you'll start first thing tomorrow," Calypso said and brought Annabeth out of her daze. She was back to being happy and didn't want to let Calypso down.

"Thank you," She smiled.

Annabeth was so happy she got another job.

* * *

"Ha!" Annabeth yelled and pointed a finger in Percy's face. "I got a job," she sang tauntingly.

Percy's eyebrows went up. "So that's what your problem was: you lost your job."

"Not just any job—"

"Mrs. Jefferson," Percy cut off. "Yeah, I already knew that."

Annabeth gawked at him. "What? You already knew but yet you had insisted to keep bugging me about it?"

Percy shrugged. "I just wanted to start a conversation." Then he went back to the espresso machine and began building a drink for a customer.

She faltered back a little. "If you wanted to start a conversation, it would've helped to drop the annoyingness."

"I guess that means only annoying people can catch your attention."

She huffed and glared at him but he had already turned his back on her.

"Whatever," She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but I gotta give you credit for what you did to Mrs. Jefferson. I can't believe you threatened to hit her with a pan."

"What? I didn't threaten to hit her with a pan." Annabeth said. But then her face dropped to solemn and she gave Percy an annoyed look. "That's what she told everybody, isn't it?"

"Yeah; what'd you really do to her?"

Annabeth explained that it was the other way around. That Mrs. Jefferson had been the one to almost chuck a pan at her. But she didn't leave out that she did throw nasty insults at her.

"Same difference," Percy grinned at her. "You still managed to piss her off! That's amazing, I wish I was there to see it," Percy mumbled the last part.

"Yeah, but it managed to get me fired."

"Oh, please. I know Mrs. Jefferson. She would've fired you anyway." Percy leaned closer to her from the other side of the counter. "And besides, I thought you quit."

Annabeth's ears turned red. "I did! But she also fired me at the same time!"

"I'm pretty sure that whether _she_ was fired or not, you would've left her. She's treats everyone like hell."

She scoffed. "More like Fields of Punishment."

"What? Isn't that like some kind of Greek Mythology?"

Annabeth blushed. "Yeah, I like to read that during my free time. It's kinda like a habit."

"That's cool." Percy smiled at her. His sea green eyes dazzled in a way. "So who are you working for now?"

"Calypso Ogygia,"

Percy almost dropped his coffee cup. "Annabeth!" he whined. "I thought you were going to get someone better than Mrs. Jefferson!"

"What's wrong with working for her?"

"I know practically everyone in this town. I've had so many small, separate jobs but"—Percy shrugged halfheartedly—"something always manages to go wrong and I end up getting fired."

"That's not hard to believe," Annabeth said behind her fingers as she laid an elbow on the counter.

He pointed a finger at her. "Don't be a bully,"

"I'm just saying, by the evidence from your first day." She shrugged.

"_Anyways_," Percy emphasized as he traveled around the counter carrying a mug of coffee to transport it to the customer. "What I'm saying is that I've been to her house because I was once a pizza boy—don't you dare laugh."

"I'm not laughing," Annabeth said in a soft tone because she was trying to suppress her chortles.

"Sure you aren't. So I went up to the door and knocked on it and this other car pulls up. This big dude comes out, and walks up to the door as well. It's kinda uncomfortable cuz this dude is like, buff, and he could beat me to a pulp if he wanted to." Percy stands next to her with one arm slung on the counter. "He gives me this look, like I'm-going-to-kill-you look. I think that he is but then he asks, 'So, you're here for the same reasons?'

"I'm like, 'Um…delivering pizza?'

"He winks at me and says, 'Sure.' And he laughs. The door opens and there are a lot of other men there. Calypso holds these parties that you don't want to get into, Annabeth. I'm telling you, don't get involved with this chick; you'll regret it as much as you regretted Mrs. Jefferson."

"Well, it's the only job I have right now, so I'll just have to live with it. And so will you. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

Percy gives her a look, a look that sends shivers up Annabeth's spine, and he's about to respond when the manager steps out from her office.

"Hey," she interrupts them. "Get back to work."

"On it," Percy says. He walks a little slowly so that when she turns back into her office, Percy leaps over the counter. He does that every single chance he gets.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually held _this_ job up." Annabeth said.

Percy gave her a surprised look. "_Me too!_" He exclaims, though in a hushed tone. "I mean, like I said before: I usually only hold very small jobs and something always goes wrong. I'm telling you, it's like it was supposed to happen."

"Why do you think it was supposed to happen?"

Percy gives her another look like he's not sure if he should say something or not. Instead he says, "No reason,"

Annabeth narrows her eyes at him, but decides it might just be best to drop it.

They're quite for a while, but then Annabeth looks at this green stuff he's putting in a coffee mug that already contains a liquid.

"What is _that_?" She asks.

Percy looks up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Seaweed,"

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew, you're putting _seaweed_ in _coffee_?"

"Hey," he sounded hurt, "I like seaweed in my coffee. It reminds me of the ocean."

She gave him a weird look.

"It's not like I put a lot in it. Just a little, to give it some sort of flavor. Here," he held the cup out to her. "Try it,"

"_No_, thank you," she raised her hands and moved away from it.

"Come on, it's good."

"Nope."

"Annabeth, you won't know if you like it if you don't try it."

"I'll take my chances."

"Fine," he sighed exasperatedly. "Suit yourself." And with that, he raised the cup to his lips and drank it. Annabeth watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he gulped. She couldn't help but blush a little and something seemed to spark a little against her heart.

When he finished, he set it back down on the counter and looked at her.

She ignored the blush and then said, "You have weird taste, then,"

"You don't know the half of it."

"So what's the other half?"

"Every kind of food I eat is blue." Percy said.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and the other eye squinted at him. "Everything you eat is blue?"

Percy nodded his head. "Pretty much."

"Why is it blue?"

He shrugged. "I just like the color blue. That, and my stepfather said it would be impossible—just like you're about to say—and so my mom and I proved to him that it wasn't."

"But it isn't!"

"See, I was right: you were going to say that. And, yes, it is impossible. It's just a lot of packets of blue dye and I only take out blue M&Ms, jelly beans, tortilla chips—all that jazz." Percy said and then finished with a swift drink of his seaweed.

Annabeth was at a loss for words. She stared at him and fully realized that he wasn't as annoying as she thought he was. He was just…creative and odd. Annabeth kind of liked that.

"You're so…weird," she smiled.

"Why, thank you." He grinned back.

"You're not welcome."

"Ha-ha, sure. So are you going to actually order anything or no?"

"Not if it means I have to see your phone number on the receipt."

"Ah," Percy smiled, "so you want one."

"You're hopeless," Annabeth said and turned and walked out the door.

He grinned as he watched her leave.

* * *

Annabeth was in the middle of vacuuming the floor of the living room when Calypso stopped her.

"No, no, no! There mustn't be any loud noises when my guests come over!"

"Guests? Who's coming over?"

"You'll see." She sang and walked away.

Annabeth got that feeling of terror. Her stomach dropped and she felt like hiding or just running out of the house and never coming back. Percy had warned her about men coming over, and she didn't really like that thought.

So Annabeth stopped the vacuum and began to wrap it up and put it back in the closet. Just as she did that, the doorbell rang and Calypso cried out if Annabeth could get that.

She warily trudged to the door and as she put her hand on the doorknob, Calypso walked out of her bedroom wearing a white dress that traveled to the floor on one side, but had a cut up to her thigh on the other.

Annabeth's eyes widened. "What are you wearing?" She hissed.

"Oh, please, Annabeth. Just open the door,"

She gulped and opened the door and there was a really buff man, just as Percy had described it.

His eyes traveled over her and she had the nerve to punch him so hard that all of his teeth came out and he would go into shock and end up in the hospital. But she stopped herself because she worked for Calypso, and this was who this man was for.

Annabeth stepped aside and the man look at Calypso and grinned. He came forward and Annabeth glared at him as he flew into her arms.

Annabeth decided not to look at the rest of it.

Then there was another person at the door, but it was a woman this time, and she sashayed through and sat on the couch. Then a man appeared and Annabeth was surprised by how fast so many people came.

She was also surprised by how long they stayed. It had been almost eight in the morning when they arrived and it was still four by this time. Annabeth spent the entire day darting back and forth through the kitchen, delivering snacks and drinks and then cleaning up messes—she even had to clean up some throw-up and she so badly wanted to kick that guy's butt. But she stopped herself again.

"Uh," one of the men grunted. "I haven't seen you around here. Who are you?"

Annabeth glared at him. "It's none of your business."

He began to smile and the other guys began wolf whistling. It made her furious and like she just wanted to beat the hell out of them.

The same guy stood and put his hand on her shoulder. The other, she could feel tried to go to her waist but it didn't make it that far because this time she didn't stop herself. She judo-flipped him over her shoulder and then kicked him in the face. She wished she had been wearing heels, but she figured her tennis shoes made just as much pain.

He yelled out and began crying. The impact even made him puke again. Calypso came running into the room, her dress all twisted sideways and one strap dangling from her shoulder. She gasped and skidded to a halt.

"Annabeth!" she scolded. "You do not hurt our guests! Clean up that mess!"

Suddenly, that was when Annabeth heard the side of Mrs. Jefferson. She knew that Calypso was definitely not someone she wanted to work for. In another day, she could probably be a nice person, but this was not what "cleaning up" meant to Annabeth.

"No!" she screamed back. "I quit!" and she walked out the door again.

* * *

"Ah, so you got fired again?" Percy asked as he saw Annabeth trudge into the café with a frown on her face.

"No," she mumbled. "I quit."

"So you saw that I was right?" Percy asked as he handed her a coffee and sat in the seat across from her.

"Maybe,"

"I never thought I would hear those words from you."

She snorted. "Shut up,"

He smiled and then got up again and jumped over the counter. Annabeth took a sip from her coffee and leaned against the opposite side of the counter, still holding the cup.

She explained what happened to Percy and she saw his face darken when she told how the man touched her. He gritted his teeth and said, "Boy, if I were there, I would've—"

"I flipped him over my shoulder and then kicked him in the face."

Percy stopped and rose an eyebrow at her doubtfully. "You kicked him in the face?"

She nodded. "Right in the nose and throat; it made him puke,"

Percy gagged. "Wow," he then said, "remind me to never get on your bad side."

She leaned forward, her face dark and she said coolly, "_Never_ get on my bad side."

Percy shivered. "Right, right, I get the gist."

Annabeth pulled back and chuckled, but it died right as it popped out of her mouth. "Now I don't have a job,"

"Again," Percy added on.

"Shut up,"

"Oh, my gosh, Annabeth!" He put his hand on her arm and his eyes were wide and dazzling. "I actually held up a job longer than you did!"

"Not for long if you don't get back to working!" The manager yelled out from the back office.

Percy cleared his throat. "Right, I'm on it." He went back to making another drink.

Annabeth began chortling. "You're such a seaweed brain," she said.

"I'm a what? Did you just call me a seaweed brain?" his brows rose to his hairline.

Annabeth nodded. "It's from all that seaweed. It's going to your head."

"Aw, that's just mean. Maybe that seaweed's going to do me some good since I think I know someone who needs a maid." Percy said and he turned around and put some contents into a blender.

"What?" Annabeth asked, all serious now. "Who?"

"What! I can't hear you over the blender!" He lightly yelled.

Annabeth grabbed the collar of his blue t-shirt and pulled him forward. "Who!"

"What are you, an owl?"

She glared at him. "Will you just tell me who, already?"

Percy snorted as he kept hearing an owl. He raised his hands in defense and slowly pulled away from her. He took out a card that must've been for the café. He began to scribble on it and then he handed the card to her.

She read it and then Percy turned off the blender just as she questioned, "Piper Grace?"

* * *

**Percabeth:) Gotta love 'em. I didn't want to make Calypso seem like a bad person, because I kinda feel sorry for her in the book, but I had to do this so yeah. And I also sort of left a cliffhanger...Anyways, so please review! **


	3. Something in Return

**Oh, my gosh the funniest thing just happened. So my sister was at college for summer classes and I stayed home and I was watching the Avengers. It was her movie, so when she came home and realized I had taken it out of her room without permission, she got a little mad. And then I got her even more mad because I flicked water at her like the mischievous little sister I am teehee:3 So I hid behind the counter as she was washing off her face and I was going all secretive spy-ninja mode.**

**"I'm going all Black Widow on you," I told her. And it was hilarious because I sneaked up behind her and she was giving me the same old not-to-take-her-movies-without-permission-from-her lecture.**

**I've heard it thousands of times so the only thing I was looking at was the water dripping down her chin from washing her face. I pointed it out and she wiped her hand on it. "You never know, it could be saliva," she said and threatened to wipe it on me.**

**I squealed and closed the bathroom door on her and hid out in the bathroom for a while. I knew she was still right outside the door, and I knew I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever so I took my hairbrush and held it up like it was some sort of evil weapon. I slowly opened the door like I was in an action-thriller movie and peeked outside. She was standing right next to the door with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face. **

**I laughed and attacked as if I were Natasha Romanov. Of course, it didn't work out like she would've done it, but I managed to make some cool (not really cool) noises as if I were really smacking her. It didn't really work because we were laughing and I somehow grabbed her arm, twisted her around, and pinned her against the wall with my back while we were still laughing. **

**And all with a measly little hairbrush.**

**She started laughing and asked me what I was doing and I told her I was Black Widow. xD Thank you, Avengers, for helping me with my lame and not-so-cool stealthy moves. **

**Anyways, off of my little story, and onto this one. Kinda a short chapter, but at least I'm updating:) I do not own PJO, but I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Annabeth pulled up in front of the house. Percy had given her the address and it led her here. She was a little cautious about it, but who wouldn't be especially after getting rejected so many times.

But when she saw the house, something clicked in her head and she just knew that _this_ was going to be the best change she ever encountered.

How did she know? Well, it happened when she first laid eyes on the small house. It was actually normal-looking and comfortable. A small pathway led up to the door and along the edge of the cobblestone path was beds of flowers and gardens of some kind of harvesting fruit. The lawn looked healthy and not like fake grass as if they actually had a sprinkler system. Planted on one side of the freshly cut grass was a big tree which branches loomed over, creating shade.

Annabeth had the urge to grab a book and sit under it, back against the trunk, and just stay there the entire day. But she cleared her throat and resisted it.

And the house, it was a normal brick house. She almost felt like the anti-wolf in the Three Little Pigs story. All the other houses before didn't work, but this one was brick and sturdy and just right for her. It had a chimney and wasn't too small, but not as big as the other mansions she'd been to before.

She got out of the car and as soon as she closed her car door, she saw something move in the curtain of one of the windows of the house.

Annabeth's brows furrowed and she tilted her head in skepticism.

The figure moved away and Annabeth got an eerie chill up her back. She locked the door behind her and then she heard a creak behind her.

Then she heard excited screaming and squealing.

Annabeth turned around and then was attacked by a hug. She was about to judo-flip this person as well, but then the girl pulled back, a grin on her face.

When she first saw the lady, she was struck and immediately thought that she was beautiful. Not caked with makeup beautiful, and not perfection beautiful like all the other women she's worked for. No, this was beautiful as in naturally beautiful. She didn't have any makeup on, but her eyes seemed to glow and change color in the light. Her smile was a real smile, not some Botox smile.

"I'm so glad you're here!" She squealed. Then she cleared her throat at Annabeth's more-than-shocked expression. She stepped back. "Sorry," she said in a normal tone. "I'm just so excited to have someone here. And you're just in time; Jason was about to leave for work."

Annabeth didn't have time to question, because as if on cue, a man appeared at the door of the house. He had blonde hair and was wearing a suit, like he was about to leave for work—like the woman said.

"Piper, don't scare her away on her first day!" He joked with a crooked smile.

The lady—who Annabeth inferred was Piper—turned around and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not! I was just greeting her, Sparky!"

"Sparky?" the first question popped out of her mouth.

Piper whirled back around to face her, her sundress twirling. "His name's not really Sparky." She said matter-of-factly. "It's Jason; he's my husband."

Annabeth nodded.

"Oh!" Piper exclaimed suddenly and it made Annabeth jump. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself." She offered out a hand. "I'm Piper Grace. You must be Annabeth."

Annabeth shook her hand warily, but with a lightly strong grip. She nodded. "Annabeth Chase,"

"It's so nice to meet you. Here, come inside." Piper kept hold of Annabeth's hand and guided her up the cobblestone path.

"Hi," Jason said when they made it to the doorstep. "I'm Jason,"

"I know. Annabeth," she said.

"I'll go fix us some drinks," Piper said and she made her way to the kitchen.

"No, thanks, for me, honey," Jason called. "I have to leave soon."

"Oh, all right. I'll show Annabeth around then." Piper said. She came back into view holding two cups of water. She handed one to Annabeth.

Jason kissed Piper's cheek. "Bye, honey, I'll see you later."

"Bye," Piper smiled.

Jason nodded towards Annabeth. "Nice meeting you. Oh, and," he leaned forward a little. "Good luck,"

Piper punched him in the arm.

He chuckled. "I'm sorry; just kidding. I'm sure you guys will do fine." He kissed Piper's temple one last time and then walked out the door.

Piper shook her head while sighing. "I don't mean to be jumpy. I'm not usually like this. I'm always alone here so I'm just so glad that you're finally here with me."

"Don't you have a job?" Annabeth asked.

Piper nodded and led her further into the house. "Yeah, but I work at home."

"What do you do?"

"Fashion," Piper smiled and led her to a room. "This is where I usually work."

It was an office but clustered with fabrics and measuring and pins and needles. There was a mannequin that had an unfinished dress on it.

"You two don't have kids?"

Piper had a sad look on her face. "W-We're trying. We really want kids, but…" she trailed off and shrugged.

Annabeth nodded and then smiled. "I'm sure you guys will have a family in no time."

"I hope so." Piper said.

Now that she was fitting more into the environment of having Annabeth around, Annabeth could tell that she was really a calm person. She wasn't high-strung like the others; she was just…Piper.

Her face suddenly brightened. "Let's take a tour of the house."

There was a small kitchen, something Annabeth could easily work with. Right next to that was a staircase leading to a small hallway and down there was only a couple of rooms and closets and a bathroom. The master bedroom was up there, attached to their grand bathroom. They had a small room saved for planning on having a baby, though Piper wasn't pregnant.

Across from the kitchen was the living room with two couches facing each other; a glass coffee table separating the two. But connecting the two arm rests was a mahogany wooden table with a plant. Across the other side of the living room was a TV.

And then there was a hallway leading down from the living room, and deeper into the house. It had a small bathroom and a closet with the laundry room and the garage. Annabeth didn't see a driveway, so it must've been on the other side of the house where the garage was.

"Piper, I have a question,"

"Shoot,"

"This is such a normal house. Why would you need me, a maid, to help you clean it? Not to be rude or anything, but what's so hard about cleaning up this place on your own?"

"I know," Piper sighed. "But like I said before, I'm here all alone. It's not just for someone who can clean, it's so that I also have a friend during the day. Besides, I'll also need someone to help me with my gardening and cooking," Piper's cheeks blushed with embarrassment. "Jason says I sometimes burn the food."

Annabeth smiled. Something felt so right, being here; and comfortable and not so big and exposed. She could see the big difference and she really liked it. And Piper seemed to be looking for the same thing Annabeth was: not just to clean and be ordered around, but to actually be with someone.

Piper led Annabeth out of the house through the front door and they looked at all the plants Piper had. There were roses, dandelions, tulips and the big tree that was an apple tree. She even harvested strawberries.

Annabeth liked the smell. It was fruity and sweet and refreshing. The wind was cool and the atmosphere enveloped her and she just wanted to stay there. "It's so…wonderful. I've never met anybody who grew this much."

"It's kind of like a habit of mine. I think it's beautiful."

"It is."

"Why, thank you,"

"When I first got here, I looked at that tree and thought that it was the perfect reading spot," Annabeth confessed. It surprised her why she had said that, because she barely even knew Piper. But it felt like they had been friends for a long time.

Piper grinned. "I'm glad you did." She walked over to the tree and rested a hand on the trunk. "I remember when this was just a little bitty branch just poking out of the ground."

The way she said it, it got Annabeth thinking. Piper must plant all these since she doesn't have any children. She treats these like her kids. Annabeth compared and realized that children really are just like plants. They start out as a small seed and they grown and bloom. You have to keep nourishing them, though, so they grown tall and healthy and beautiful.

And these flowers really were beautiful. They were wet and soft with dew and a little dry from the light wind. They swayed from it and it was like they were dancing or waving.

Annabeth turned back to Piper and they stared, as if having a silent conversation.

And then they smiled, as if making a promise.

* * *

Annabeth exclaimed as she jumped into the café. Percy was right next to the door, delivering a drink to a person and she immediately tackled him with a hug.

"Whoa!" he yelped and stepped back, but Annabeth had locked her arms around him. "What's gotten into _you_?"

She pulled back with a grin. "I guess Piper's energy rubs off on me." She shrugged. She then hugged Percy again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed. "I got the job!"

"You got the job?"

"I got the job," She sang and started jumping into a little dance number.

"Is that your Happy Dance?"

"Uh," she grunted as she booty-bumped him. Annabeth stared at him, breathing heavily and he gave her a look that was trying not to burst out into laughter.

Percy bit his lips and shook his head. "You're such a weirdo." He began to walk back to the counter.

She paused and rolled her eyes. "Um, a weirdo with a job now," Annabeth followed him.

"Uh-huh. So you like it? I actually helped you?"

"Yeah, but don't get used to it."

"Oh, but I could," he said.

She began to glare at him. "All right, you're never going to let this go. What do I have to do?"

"I never said you had to do anything." Percy said and began to make a drink.

"No," Annabeth said and put her arms on the counter. She continued, "But you helped me with my job and now that it actually worked for me, you want something in return. What do you want?"

"All right," Percy raised his hands in defense. "You got me. Let me think about it," he leaned closer to her and his sea green eyes glowed as he pondered. Then they brightened as he said, "Ah, I know. I want a date with Miss Annabeth Chase." He smiled mischievously.

Annabeth gave him a look.

* * *

"Ooh…Annabeth's got a date with the Percy dude?" Hazel purred.

"Yeah, just because he helped me with my job," Annabeth groaned.

"Well, you _do_ owe him," Thalia countered.

"Yeah, but I didn't think he'd ask for a date."

"How could you not think that?!" she exclaimed. "He was flirting with you the second you stepped into the door, he gave you his phone number—which you rejected—but you're the smart one! I thought you saw this coming!"

Annabeth paused because she didn't know what to say.

"Oh, don't get all flustered, Annabeth," Rachel tried to reason. "It'll be fun. He seems like the fun type,"

Hazel smacked her arm. "Don't go flirting with Annabeth's date. You never know, it may be the start of a relationship you've always wanted."

Annabeth's entire face blushed furiously and she thought about Luke. She had always loved him, but he never seemed to respond to that. Annabeth wondered if the same way would happen with Percy. She kind of hoped not, because she thought of him as only a friend. And besides, she just met him. They were supposed to be only friends.

But then again, that's how she first started out with Luke.

"Relationship?" he asked as he stepped into the room as if on cue. "Annabeth's got a date?"

"Jeez," Thalia scoffed. "You come in at the best moments," She rolled her eyes.

Luke ruffled up her hair and Thalia glared at him. She usually didn't mean most glares, but if looks could kill, Luke would be in the morgue already. Annabeth narrowed her eyes on Thalia and realized she had been acting strangely around Luke for a while now. She decided to ask her about it later.

"Yeah," Hazel answered Luke's questioned, "with Percy from the café."

"Oh…" he trailed off, his lips tugging upward a little as he sat next to Thalia, who seemed a like she was on edge with him sitting there. "Well, good luck,"

Annabeth wasn't very sure if she needed it. Luke didn't seem to care that she was going off with another guy that wasn't him. She knew that she probably wouldn't ever have a future with Luke. For some reason, that seemed to calm her down about her Percy situation a little.

Annabeth groaned and thumped her head against the table.

It was going to be a long and confusing couple of days.

* * *

**Percabeth to the rescue! :) Anyways, so I hoped you guys liked! Please review if you did!**


	4. New Names

**Hey, guys! So I finally finished this chapter tonight. It's really long so I hope you like! :) PJO is owned by Mr. Rick Riordan.**

* * *

It was Annabeth's first day on the job and she already met someone she declared as annoying. At Piper and Jason's house, she looked at what all needed to be done and made a list of it. She started with the very first and important thing. She did the laundry, which their clothes hamper lid wasn't actually attached to the hamper there were so many dirty clothes.

She heaved it into her arms and started to the laundry room by the garage. While the clothes were being washed, she started to vacuum. The machine made so many scratching noises, it hurt her ears. It told her they didn't exactly vacuum much.

While Annabeth was doing this, Piper was at first outside with her garden—mending that first thing in the morning. Then once she was cleaned up, she followed Annabeth around the house, talking about her and Jason's past.

He had been in an accident once, causing him to lose some of his memory. And that's how he met Piper. She found him and called the ambulance for him. They had a friend, Leo, and she even said that he might be coming over later to fix a broken pipe in their bathroom; he was a mechanic.

Piper had to yell over the aggressive hum from the vacuum cleaner.

Finally, she gave up after a while. "I'm just going to go into my office!"

"What?!" Annabeth asked back.

"_I'm going to my office!_"

"What about Zach Galifianakis?"

"No! _My office!_"

"It's okay, Piper, I know you don't got this! I don't mind vacuuming!"

Piper huffed and reached over and pressed the power button, making the machine slowly die and the hum fade. "I'm going to my office now," Piper said in a low voice, but her tone was hoarse.

"Oh, okay. Sorry,"

Piper gave a soft smile and then left.

Annabeth watched her leave and then turned the vacuum back on.

When the washer was done, she spent a great amount of time sorting through the wet clothes and putting the ones that could handle it into the dryer.

Annabeth walked back out with wet clothes hanging on her forearm and she was going to walk to Piper's room and hang them up on hangers. But she passed by the living room and stopped.

There was a man sitting on the couch with his arms behind his neck and the TV was on. One leg was propped over the other.

Annabeth stopped and gave him a look. He didn't see her at first. He had curly brown hair that hung in crooked locks around his pointy ears. Even though he wasn't smiling, Annabeth could see his cheeky smile and his smirk. She'd seen that before on Luke's half-brother's faces. The Stoll brothers always had that look with them, but she knew this wasn't one of them.

"Who are you?" She asked.

He jumped and looked at her with alarm. His brown eyes were wide. "Um…" he cleared his throat and just as thought, that smirk lined his lips. "The real question is who are _you_?"

"Well I'm not answering that question until you answer mine."

"What are we, two year-olds?"

Annabeth gave him a look.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, okay, no need for that kind of torture." The man put his other foot on the ground and took his arms away from his neck and sat up. "I'm—"

"Leo!" Piper exclaimed as she just walked into the room with a grin on her face. She hurried to him.

"Yeah, what she said," Leo murmured to Annabeth as Piper greeted him with a hug. "Hey, Beauty Queen,"

She pulled back and then smiled at Annabeth. "Annabeth, this is our friend, Leo. He came to fix a pipe in our bathroom. Leo, this is Annabeth; she's our maid."

"Maid? You definitely don't _look_ like a maid,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Annabeth said in a deadly tone. She still glared at him.

He stammered. "I—you just look like you'd be the one ordering another person around instead of _being_ ordered around,"

She walked past him and smacked him with a wet shirt. Annabeth stopped beside him as he yelped and rubbed the sting on his arm. "I may be a maid, but that doesn't mean people order me around," She growled and then kept walking to Piper's room.

Piper, in the background, began laughing at Leo, who looked a little sheepish.

Though he may be annoying, Annabeth liked being around Leo. He was easy to mess with. Every time she passed by him, he'd say something witty and she'd reply back with something that made him speechless. She tried her best to hide her smile, though it didn't exactly work.

And every time she passed by him, she'd smack him on the head with whatever was in her hand.

Finally, he gave up and proceeded to the bathroom to fix the pipe.

Annabeth was dusting the TV. She had covered the majority of the living room. Suddenly, a face popped up on the screen and she jumped back, a small yelp coming from her lips. She heard a snickering behind her.

She turned and found Leo sitting on the couch again, his feet propped up on the coffee table—the one she just dusted off—and holding the TV remote in his hand.

Annabeth glared and walked over to him. "Very funny," she said shortly. "I just dusted that."

He looked down at the coffee table. "Oh,"

She waited, but he didn't move.

Leo smirked and Annabeth took his ankles and dragged him off the couch, twisting him over and then slamming him on his stomach on the carpet. He cursed and groaned.

"Hey, Repair Boy," Piper came back in. She stopped when she saw the scene. "What happened?"

"He tripped," Annabeth said innocently.

"Oh, yeah," Leo said sarcastically. "On what, the _air_?!"

"On your own dirty feet," Annabeth snarled.

Piper chuckled. "So, did you fix the pipe?"

Leo started to sit up, rubbing his ankles as he looked up at Annabeth, who was giving him a _You-asked-for-it_ look.

"That's why you call me Repair Boy," he mumbled.

"Awesome. Thanks," She grinned.

"Any time," he began to stand.

Piper left the room again and Annabeth went back to dusting.

Leo sat back down when she had her back turned. He stared at her, skeptical. "So what do you, jujitsu? Karate?"

"I'll answer when you get your feet off the table."

Leo looked down and realized he had accidentally done that again. He instantly brought them off like it was on fire. "Sorry," he mumbled. Then a thought occurred to him. "Whoa! How'd you even see that?"

"I have eyes on the back of my head," Annabeth said coolly. "So don't even think about it,"

Leo stopped. He had slowly picked up the plant like he was going to throw it at her. "Think about what?"

"The plant," Annabeth said with her back still turned to him. "Don't even think about it."

Leo sighed defeatedly and put it back down. "Okay, fine, Miss Creepy Karate Lady."

Annabeth finally turned back to him. "It's Annabeth Chase,"

Leo's eyebrows went up.

Annabeth looked back and continued to watch him cautiously through the reflection in the TV screen.

* * *

"Piper!" Annabeth called after she had washed the last dish. "Can I talk to you?"

Piper came out almost immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Annabeth said, "I was just wondering if I could leave a little earlier."

"How early?"

"Like, now,"

"Now?" Piper asked. "Why now?"

"I have to…go somewhere," Annabeth replied hesitantly.

"What's more important than being at your job?"

Annabeth bit her lip. "I have a date."

Piper lit up, grinning and eyes twinkling. She jumped over to her. "Oh, my gosh! You have a date?!"

"You have a date?!" Leo spluttered. "The guy must be desperate."

Annabeth squeezed a pressure point on his neck and he jolted, making a weird strangling noise and fell limply on the couch, his face ended up buried in a pillow. "Sorry," He mumbled.

"Who are you dating?" Piper asked.

"Um, some guy I met at the café. I have to go so I'll see you tomorrow," she said and left with a wave of her hand.

* * *

Annabeth sighed as she smoothed down her dress. It was a soft gray dress that went just above her knees. There was a small black belt held together at her waist. She wore a thin, cotton black sweater that prevented her exposed shoulders from being chilly in the evening weather.

She looked at herself in her slanted mirror that leaned against the wall. Hazel and Rachel insisted that they helped with her hair, but she protested. All she did was tie up some loose strands back from her face, her curly hair tumbling over her shoulders.

Annabeth slipped on her black flats and suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Her heart quickened. If that was Percy, that meant—

"I'll get it, Annabeth!" Rachel said.

Her heart was heavy and she dashed out of the room. "No!" she cried urgently. Annabeth knew what was to come if Rachel opened the door and Percy was there.

Rachel was already reaching for the door handle and Annabeth sprinted, though it was hard because a flat slipped off of her heel. She pushed Rachel out of the way right when she opened the door—just a crack—and Annabeth could see Percy's glowing green eyes.

"Just one minute Percy," Annabeth said and then closed the door.

Rachel struggled. "Annabeth, what are you—"

"She knows exactly what you're doing, Rachel!" Thalia said with her hands on her hips.

Annabeth jabbed a finger in Rachel's face. "Don't you dare ruin this date for me."

"What are you talking about?" She said innocently. "I wasn't trying to do that."

"No, but if you're going to talk to him, I just know it's going to turn out bad."

"Annabeth?" Percy shouted and knocked on the door. "Is everything okay in there?"

"Aww, he sounds so worried," Rachel cooed. "Let's open the door."

"No. I will not let you talk to him or look at him." Annabeth said. "You've been teasing me about it all week!"

"Well, too bad." Rachel countered. "He's standing out there all alone and worried, someone's gotta open it."

Rachel started to open it and suddenly, Thalia dived. She brought back Rachel. "You're not going to ruin their date! None of us are!"

Percy tried to look at Annabeth through the crack that barely opened. "Annabeth, what's going on?"

"Uh…" Annabeth stammered nervously and she looked back at Rachel and Thalia wrestling.

"Why can't I just get one look?!" Rachel struggled to cry.

"You're so boy crazy!" Thalia said.

Hazel stepped in. "Guys! Percy can hear you!"

"Did someone just say my name?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"Just—I'm almost ready, Percy."

"Stay away! He's Annabeth's!"

Percy's brow furrowed.

"Um…I have to go…um, clean up a mess," Annabeth said.

"Oh, you want me to help?" Percy began to step in.

"No! No, you stay here, I'll go clean it up. It's not safe."

His green eyes glowed even more and he looked worried. "It's not safe? Annabeth, it could be dangerous. I should help you."

"No, because if you did, the mess would…eat you up alive." Annabeth took a deep breath. "Like, almost literally," She closed the door and left into the apartment.

Hazel tried to break up Thalia and Rachel, but it was almost impossible. They were all fighting, causing a mob and Thalia and Hazel trapped down Rachel.

"Just quit it! Percy is here for Annabeth, not you!" Thalia said.

"Whoa," a voice said.

They all looked up at Percy, who was wearing a suit with no tie, and his white button-up shirt loose until it was tucked into his trousers. He had his hand in his pocket, but the other one hanging loosely by his side.

Annabeth straightened and said, "Percy, I said it—it was too dangerous!"

"What's dangerous about a couple of girls?"

Annabeth's eyebrows went up and Thalia pointed to Rachel. "The one that's obsessed with you,"

Rachel blushed a little but smiled. "Gee, he's kinda cute."

Annabeth kicked her, but her eyes were still glued on Percy. She was about to agree with Rachel, but she blinked, mentally telling herself that that would be wrong.

"Um, Annabeth?" Percy asked as he brushed his fingers through his black hair. It was short cropped and looked a little messy, but was beautiful as it swept off his forehead.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Uh, where'd your shoe go?"

"My shoe?" Annabeth looked down at her feet and found that she only had one black flat on. She looked up at the hallway ahead of her. It was still where it had fallen off.

"Oh. My shoe. Of course." She went to retrieve her shoe and when she came back, Rachel had gotten up and went to Percy, her frizzy red hair stuck up everywhere.

Percy looked awkward. "Hi,"

"I'm Rachel," she stuck out her hand.

"Uh, cool. Well, Annabeth and I are leaving now,"

Thalia threw her head back and started laughing as she walked in between them. Hazel snickered.

"See, we told you he was here for Annabeth," Thalia said. "I'm starting to like this Percy dude already,"

Annabeth put on her shoe and then stepped up to Percy, who opened her door for her as they stepped out of the apartment.

* * *

Percy knew that there probably wasn't any fancy restaurant that they would enjoy, so he brought her back to the café. The lights were off except for some candles and he was making them some coffee.

"You know what I think it's time for? I think it's time you tried seaweed coffee."

Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "I think I'll pass."

"Oh, come on! It's great, you should try it."

Percy was behind the counter and Annabeth sat at one of the tables. She didn't really like seeing him where he usually is. It was their night together with no other customers around. He deserved to take his night off from his original post.

So Annabeth got up and walked around the counter to him. He was sprinkling some of the seaweed in a cup of coffee.

She still didn't find that quite appetizing, but decided that it might be worth a try. She took a sip of it and the taste was quite soothing, actually. It was sweet and different from what she usually drank. It was warm and when she pulled the cup away from her lips and took a deep breath, the smell wafted up to her nose and she took in the deep scent. It smelled like a calming sea and she took another drink of it.

Percy's eyebrows went up. "So you like it," he said with a grin.

Annabeth's brows furrowed and she pulled the cup away, giving him a slight glare. "I never said that," her voice even sounded drowsy, like the seaweed coffee put her under some sort of spell.

"But your reaction told it all," He glanced at her sideways with a smirk. "Hey," he said when she kept staring at him like that. "Just because you like something doesn't stop you to keep liking it. _I'm_ not stopping you. There's nothing wrong about it."

"Yes, but that's how you develop flaws. And then you progress with a _fatal_ flaw." Annabeth said softly.

He chuckled and blinked, as if that concept was wrong in his belief. "It's just a coffee, Annabeth. It's just seaweed."

Annabeth looked back down at the coffee, and something rippled in her taste buds, making her saliva ooze from the insides of her cheeks. She wanted more of the drink, desperately. She bit the inside of her lip and looked up at Percy, who was making some pastries for their small dinner.

Percy wasn't exactly a sit down and eat and talk kind of guy. It just seemed a little too boring—and that technique had been used millions of times. He was the kind of guy that tried different things, hence the seaweed.

So they snacked a little from behind the counter and Annabeth drank the rest of the contents in her coffee mug.

Percy had lied. He said he knew she liked it from her reaction. That wasn't the truth. He had known that because of the look in her eyes. It was the way she stared at down at it and that when she opened her eyes, the gray was twinkling kind of like a star. They reminded him of the moment she got her job with Piper; that they just lit up like she was staring at a whole different world.

He cleared his throat and looked around the empty café. He loved the sight of it, but in that moment, it all just seemed too normal. Annabeth made him feel like he wanted to do anything but normal.

Percy was about to suggest to take a walk, but Annabeth had been the one to walk back around and away from the counter and up to the window. She stared at the empty streets and the night sky that was starting to bloom different colors from the sunset.

Her eyes twinkled like how they did with the seaweed.

"Let's take go on a walk," she said. As simple as that, like it was the only other path to take.

Percy smiled because he liked her simplicity. "Alright," He said. He blew out the candles, cleaned up the mess so that way he wouldn't get in trouble later on, and he locked up the café again before he and Annabeth set out on their small adventure.

As they walked, they talked a lot—mostly about their past life.

Annabeth explained that she doesn't have a mom and her dad died a while ago. That was why she shared an apartment with her other friends. She explained how they hadn't, at first, intentionally wanted to be maids, but that it sort of just happened. She had been in college with Thalia and they shared a dorm, and they always kept a clean room—no matter what. It was always just an instinct to keep an organized room because she couldn't think with all the clutter.

Some of their neighboring dorms had had a party one night. When it was over the next morning and everyone had left or was just passed out, Annabeth couldn't walk through to get to her class. She and Thalia took trash bags and cleaned up the red solo cups and the beer and food.

"It's funny because Thalia was complaining a little. She even kicked one guy's head as he was unconscious on the floor." Annabeth snickered. "She swore she didn't mean it, but, I don't believe her. When I came back from my class, I ran into him and he asked me if he really did have a party last night, or if it was just a dream. I told him what happened." Annabeth shrugged. "And I guess, from there, we just sort of learned to clean after other people," she sighed.

Percy's lips were pulled tight. "But you don't like that,"

"I didn't, no. At first, not really, but it helped pay some bills. That was how we met Hazel and Rachel—they came to us and Luke helped us get the jobs. After a while, I got used to it and it just didn't matter anymore. And now I realize that it's not so bad when the person you work for doesn't feel like your boss."

Percy smiled. "So what did you really want to be? You said being a maid wasn't exactly your dream job."

Annabeth chuckled. "No, I never wanted to be a maid. I've…it's always been a dream of mine to be an architect. Just the buildings and shapes around me seem to catch my interest."

Percy looked over at her. She was in profile and the moon seemed to reflect off her frame. Her eyes twinkled even more when she talked about how she wanted to be in architecture, and that's how she knew she was telling the truth.

It finally hit Percy, staring at her then, how beautiful she was. Before, sure he thought she was pretty, but the sight of her now just makes his heart pound against his breastbone. Her long and full dark lashes and the way her hair just seemed to curl perfectly.

But he knew she wasn't that type. He knew she'd rather be reading a book somewhere than focusing on being pretty all the time. And he liked that about her. He could see her working furiously on some sort of blueprint for—maybe something even as grand as Olympus.

"I can see you becoming an architect," he said, interrupting her.

She blushed and tucked a curly strand of blonde behind her ear. "Thanks, Percy," she smiled at him. "So what about you? I'm guessing you aren't very fond about all these mini jobs."

Percy shrugged. "I like the ocean. Maybe I'll become a sailor one day. I've never exactly had a dream hobby. That's why I have so many different jobs. I don't really like staying in one place for a long time. It gets too normal after a while."

"Ahh," Annabeth nodded and stared at the sidewalk. "So you're an adventurer. A risk-taker."

"Isn't everyone?"

"Any chance you'll be settling down this time?"

Percy was a little taken aback by the question as she looked up at him, her eyes full of hope. "Maybe; it's a possibility. I guess it depends on whether I get fired or not." He grinned.

"I'm surprised you haven't been fired yet."

"Me too,"

"So you say you have a mother. How is she?"

"She's like your normal mom. Paranoid and worried about me from time-to-time. I love her to death, though. A couple months after I had been born, my dad and she divorced. It just didn't work because _he_ had to work—all the time. She was all I had. Then I had my stepfather, Gabe—absolutely hated the…the oaf."

"Hm," Annabeth thought out loud. "What a wonderful choice of word."

A smile stretched across his face. "Well, that's exactly what he was. Then she met another guy—finally someone who could work out with her. Someone she deserved. She used to work at a candy shop, so that's how I was able to get my hands on blue candy. But I guess it grew a little old for her and she quit." Percy shrugged. "One day she just thought that hey, she loves to take care of kids. So she helps run with an adoption agency now."

Annabeth nodded. "That's sweet," She smiled over at him.

He smiled back. He was about to respond, but then that light was in Annabeth's eyes again and she looked at something past him. Her face read shock and he turned around. "What?"

He realized she was staring at a small bookstore that they were passing by. It was squished in between two buildings with wooden window frames and double wooden doors. It looked a little old-fashioned and like no one was there. Some books were featured in the windows, and some were cracked leather and some were old paper backs with bent and yellowing paper.

Percy looked back over at her dazzling eyes. "Y-You wanna go inside?" He pointed to the shop with raised eyebrows.

Finally, her gaze averted back to him and she cleared her expression of happiness. "No, no, it's fine. We don't have to."

"Annabeth," he said exasperatedly. He opened his mouth to continue, but couldn't find the words. Percy shifted his feet with his hands in his pockets, staring down at the street. He looked back up at her. "Hey, if you want to do something, we'll do it. I don't mind—as long as you're happy."

The corners of her mouth slowly lifted upwards. She realized how nice and gentle Percy was being with her and it made chills go through her, but warmth stabbing at her heart. She hadn't ever been able to reach the things that she'd always wanted. It seemed like something always got in her way and soon, she got tired of fighting it.

But ever since she met Percy, it was like those things that were getting in her way seemed to disappear. She got a job and a friend with no barking boss. And, she found someone who helped her get what she wanted. Someone who really acknowledged her, unlike Luke.

Annabeth smiled again. "Then I'd love to."

* * *

They walked in and it was a little colder inside than it was outside. But that was how Annabeth liked it. It was also quiet, and they were probably the only people there besides a woman—who was the librarian. And she was stacking books on a book shelf.

Up ahead, there was a desk where you check out the books. There was a laptop and a scanner. And then everything else was books. Dozens and dozens of rows of bookshelves that were packed with old and cracked books. This made her mind wander and her heart soar. She immediately loved this place and wondered how she hadn't stumbled upon it before.

There was a small sitting area to their right, but they didn't sit down. Annabeth floated around, her fingers sliding against the spines of all the books she passed by. She read the names and some were old poems from Edgar Allan Poe, and some were fiction. There were a lot of nonfiction books like on wars and biographies of famous people.

Percy followed behind. He hadn't said a word—neither of them has. Annabeth glanced back at him and his lips were pressed and firm like he was about to smile. His green eyes were glowing as they also read the titles.

Annabeth looked back ahead of her, smiling and feeling something flip over in hot warmth in her chest.

They had traveled all the way to the back where there was only one row left from the first row of book shelves. Along the way, Annabeth had paused at multiple books, but then remembered she had read them already and put them back with a satisfied look.

Her eye caught a familiar word: Greek.

She stopped and Percy almost ran into her. "What'd you find?"

Annabeth pulled out the book. It wasn't small or big. It was blue and cracked. In gold, it read "GREEK MYTHOLOGY".

"Oh, yeah, you're a Greek nerd." Percy said.

Annabeth lightly punched him in the arm. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"I didn't say there was." Percy countered. Then he took a deep breath. It shook. "The only thing I really know about Greek mythology is the Greek gods' names and their power. And only some of their myths. Like Medusa and Lotus and Arachne. Learned some of it during sixth grade, but I fell asleep through most of it."

Annabeth gaped at him. "How could you fall asleep during _this_?"

Percy shrugged. "I have ADHD. I just couldn't really pay attention and I end up dozing off."

"Well, maybe now's your chance."

"What, you're going to teach me Greek mythology tonight?"

"Nope," she shook her head but couldn't shake off her smile. "I'm going to read it to you." And she waved the book in front of his face.

* * *

There was something in the way Annabeth talked and explained and read to him that had Percy absorbing every syllable she spoke. He listened to every word she said about how the gods had cut their dad, Kronos, and threw his bits into Tartarus. How she read from the book in her lap about the wooden horse wheeling into Troy. And she talked about the heroes, Jason and Hercules and more about how they helped out the gods.

But she didn't just read. She added in her own facts, and that's what made Percy so interested. To see her point of view in all of this. It was like she was there, in those times, and had seen it all with her own eyes.

And her eyes. Percy watched her reaction in her eyes. How they glowed and he could see the gears turning in her head and how the storm churned in her grayness. It was amazing.

She knew so much about this, that Percy was intrigued by her. The way she talked about it all, she sounded so wise.

Though he had dyslexia and ADHD, so it was hard to keep up sometimes.

They sat with their backs against the side wall under a window. Rain had started to sprinkle against it very lightly. It was like a soft whisper as it trickled against the glass. Percy had his knees bent up in front of him while Annabeth, due to her dress, had them crossed. The book still settled in her lap.

He looked over at her and her blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders and covered the side of her face as she looked down at the book. She tucked the strands behind her ear.

Suddenly, the woman librarian came into view. "Excuse me, but I'm closing now. I apologize, but I'm going to have to ask you guys to leave now."

They nodded. "Sure," they mumbled simultaneously.

"If you want, you can check out the book." She said.

They both looked down at the Greek Mythology book. Then they looked at each other as if having a silent agreement.

"Maybe next time," Annabeth said as she smiled up at the woman.

She nodded and then walked away.

Percy got up, straightened out his suit and then offered out a hand to help Annabeth up. She stared at the book for a little while and then reached out. Her fingers slipped into his and warmth shot through his arm and over his whole body. Her skin was soft, but her palm felt a little rough. But he liked it and suddenly he had the urge to hold her hand for a while longer.

Though he didn't because once she was on her feet, she let go. She placed the book back in its spot and they took one look at each other and left.

* * *

It had stopped raining and they continued their walk along the road. They had an entire conversation on Greek mythology. They had an argument on who would be the better god, and whatnot.

"I would choose Athena," Annabeth said. "She's smart and is the only one with actual power."

Percy shrugged. "She seems too bossy. I would go for someone a little more…carefree. Someone who just kind of goes with the flow. Kind of like Poseidon. He literally goes with the flow, he's the god of the ocean and waves and such."

Annabeth scoffed. "Yeah, and that's all he does. Control water and talks to horses."

"Hey, he _made_ horses. That's pretty darn useful right there."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Whatever,"

"You know, it'd actually be pretty cool to be a demigod." Percy said.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow as she glanced sideways at him. "Not exactly. It'd be awfully dangerous."

"Well, duh. Anything involving Greek is dangerous."

Annabeth laughed. "That's true,"

"It would be fun!" he elbowed her. "Think about it. I would say you would be a daughter of Athena. I'd probably be…Poseidon. You know, Seaweed Brain and all," he nudged her again.

She snickered and grinned up at him. "You're right. It would be kind of fun. But you're forgetting that Athena and Poseidon hate each other."

"Yeah, but _we_ don't hate each other." Percy countered.

"That's also true. But we're not half-bloods,"

Percy shrugged. "Oh, well,"

They were quiet for a while and the only they heard was their light footsteps and some dog barking in the distance. There were no cars and it felt like they were the only people on Earth. Unless the dog was a human impersonating a dog, but they doubted that.

Percy walked with his hands in his pockets and Annabeth had her arms crossed over her midsection.

Finally, he spoke up. "You know, this nickname thing isn't fair."

"What do you mean?"

"You call me Seaweed Brain, but I have nothing to call you. It's not fair. It's all one-sided. It's official—you need a nickname."

Annabeth chuckled. "So what's my nickname?"

"I don't know. Maybe Owl Brain?"

"No," Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "Besides, it sounds too much like yours."

"Okay, fine. How about…Goldie?"

"Goldie?" Her eyebrows went up.

"Yeah, because of your hair," he waved a hand to her.

She shook her head. "Definitely not."

He sighed and with each step, he thought of as many nicknames as he could. None seemed to work and he was about to give up. Suddenly, the names just sounded ridiculous and goofy, and each one she'd reject.

"Yeah, well how about smartass?" He joked.

She punched him in the arm. "Stop being a Seaweed Brain!"

Then the thought occurred to him. He stopped and faced her, his head tilted to the side and his green eyes churning like the sea as if they were waves and knew something she didn't.

Annabeth stopped and faced him as well.

His expression was trying not to be cocky, but it didn't work.

"I will when you stop being a Wise Girl,"

Her mouth gaped open, ready to counter that it didn't work, but then she stopped. It actually kind of worked. It didn't offend her and it didn't over-confident her. It was simple, but actually kind of perfect.

"Wise Girl, huh?"

"Wise Girl," Percy confirmed.

He stared down at her and she realized how tall he was compared to her. Storm met sea and it was quiet.

Percy awkwardly bent down, opening his mouth whether to say something or do something else, Annabeth wasn't sure. But he looked nervous. His hand came up and he gently placed his thumb behind her jaw, his other hands resting on her neck and underneath her soft hair.

She took a small step forward but her heart pounded and raged inside of her.

He leaned forward, their noses touching, and then decided against it. He pulled back a little.

Annabeth was starting to gasp a little. And her eyes had widened large to where maybe Owl-Eyed could've worked.

"Wise Girl," he murmured and then his hand became gentler and he took it away from her neck. He kissed her cheek, and then Percy turned and started walking again.

Annabeth stayed where she was though. Her heart was fluttering madly and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. What just happened? She clenched her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

Then her eyes cut to Percy silhouette form in the shadows and she hurried to him. She caught up with him and didn't say a word. But she slipped her hand into his and he responded by closing his fingers around hers.

They still didn't say a word through their smiles.

* * *

**My week's been kinda crappy so this was a good small cure :3 Percabeth and Leo - that's all a person really needs. Anyways, so we've reached 20 followers! Yay! Please review so I know you're liking the story so far! :) Until next time, readers!**


	5. Seeing the Changes

**Hello, dearies! :) I'm sorry for this long wait but I've brought you something extra special! More Percabeth! :3 Please enjoy! (I do not own PJO.)**

* * *

The nice, hot sun was shining high in the cloudless sky and it beat down on their backs as they sat on their knees in the grass. There wasn't a single lick or whisper of air in the humidity around them. Sweat trickled on their skin and above their brows because their sun hats didn't give much shade.

Quite frankly, Annabeth didn't care. She barely noticed all the heat and the sticky and sweaty mess she was in. She was supposed to be helping Piper trim her bushes and re-soil the harvesting gardens, but she was lost in space.

Her knees were digging into the soft grass beneath her. She wore jean shorts and a tank top and on her hands wore thick gardening gloves caked with dirt in every crinkle. In one hand, she held a pair of bush trimmers and in the other, a small shovel.

Annabeth was barely poking at the soil with the shovel. Her gaze was settled on it, but she wasn't really _looking_ at it. Her mind was still going over memories of the couple nights before. She couldn't stop thinking about it and Thalia and Rachel kept making fun of her for it.

She couldn't get out of her mind how Percy had looked at her and how they talked. And when they found out her nickname, it was almost like he was about to kiss her.

Annabeth's breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded. Was that really what he was about to do?

She found it a little odd, though, because they had really only just met a couple days ago. But at the same time, she was so glad for it.

A small smile began to brighten her face as she thought about his silhouette and profile in the moonlight; his slightly crooked nose and his dark eyebrows that curved over his eyelids with personality. And his eyes, how they'd look over at her and they were so green, they were almost emerald.

_No_, Annabeth thought. _Not emerald_. She thought for a while_. Like the underneath of the sea as the blue lapped over the green…_

"Annabeth!" Piper nudged her. "Gosh, what's the matter with you? I said your name at least five times!"

She stammered and straightened as she looked over at Piper. Piper's cheeks were hot pink and her braids were hanging over her shoulders, looking darker with grease and dirt. She was sweating due to the hot atmosphere. She was wearing overall's shorts. She had a giant floppy straw hat on as well.

"Oh, sorry. What's wrong?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You're not doing anything just sitting there and smiling at the wall." Piper said. Then her face brightened. "Wait a minute; is this about your date?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it. She shrugged and murmured something indistinctive and turned back to the bush where she continued to cut some extra unneeded twigs.

Piper gasped. "It is!" She put down her tools and started to grip Annabeth's forearm. "Really, you have to tell me what happened. You haven't even told me who it was!"

The corner of Annabeth's mouth tugged upward and she shrugged again. She was hoping that her face was just as red as Piper's so that way she couldn't tell that she was blushing. She wasn't exactly ready to tell Piper all about her night with Percy. She wasn't sure why, she guessed she just didn't want to admit it to anyone else yet.

Besides, the date was just to get even.

_…Right? _Annabeth wondered about this.

Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder in the distance. Although that seemed almost impossible because there wasn't a cloud in the sky—Annabeth looked up and realized that gray clouds had quickly rolled in silently as they had been talking. It surprised her and there was another boom of thunder.

"Oh, great," Piper grumbled and began to get up. She wiped off the grass on her knees and shins it left behind dirt smudges, but she didn't look like she cared. She picked up her gardening tools and some of the bags of twigs and headed to the garage.

Annabeth stood and she plucked off the gloves from her fingers. She stuffed them into her short's back pockets and looked up at the sky where the clouds were churning. A rumble rippled across them and she stared at them, her chin held up high. The humidity was starting to drift away, but she knew it'd come right back after the storm was gone.

She turned back around and picked up her gardening tools as well and then followed Piper into the house.

* * *

"I'm going to get cleaned up," Piper said as she stored all of their outside work supplies in a box in the garage. "You can use the guest bathroom and then we can go and get some lunch," she smiled and then laid a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "And you can tell me all about your date and who it was."

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks,"

Piper returned the smile and then walked back into the house.

Compared to the outside weather, the garage seemed a lot hotter. Annabeth was starting to sweat more and her skin felt like it was on fire. Her lungs started to close up. She decided not to lag behind this time.

She had brought a duffel bag with extra clothes—as she does every day now just in case. She picked it up from where it sat on the bed in the guest room and brought it into the bathroom.

Annabeth usually takes hot showers, but seeing the conditions today, she put it on cold to cool off her skin. She knew she wouldn't be able to stand it when the steam engulfed her in the burning moist. But the cold water calmed her down and she stood there for a second as the water ran down the back of her neck and her chest. She closed her eyes for a second and all she could see was sea green.

She opened her eyes and remembered that she was still in the shower, not walking in the night with her hand holding Percy's.

Suddenly, her senses came to her and she realized that the water was turning to freezing. She turned back to the faucet and turned the knob closer to the warm section and the water immediately turned comfortable for her liking.

Annabeth began to scrub the dirt and grime off her skin. She tried her best and as soon as it was off, she turned the shower off and dried herself off with the guest bathroom's baby blue towels.

Her hair was still wet so she didn't bother putting it up into a ponytail. So she left her hair down, twirling it around and hanging the curly pile over her shoulder. It hung in stringy small curls, and the blonde seemed to be a little brown since it was wet.

She wore a fitted orange shirt over a white camisole and jeans as she walked out of the guest bathroom. She put her dirty clothes in the duffel bag instead. She came back out of the room and found Piper sitting on the couch, braiding her hair.

"Okay," Annabeth said, "I'm ready."

Piper smiled up at her. "Let's go,"

* * *

Lightning flashed as they walked up to the café doors. Once under the tarp, Annabeth put down the umbrella; it had started to rain. She put it in the container next to the door. They walked inside and found that there wasn't really anyone else in there. One customer looked up from their book and peered outside at the bad weather. Then they packed up their things and hurried home.

That left them all alone except for Percy, as usual. He leaned his fists on the counter, a playful smile on his face.

But Piper wasn't paying attention as they walked up to him. "Annabeth, you have to tell me who you went on the date with! I swear, it's only been a couple of days and you still can't stop thinking about this mystery man."

Annabeth gave Piper a pointed glare and grumbled to where Percy couldn't hear, "_Shut—up._"

Percy started to smile a little and his eyebrows started to rise.

"And you still have stars in your eyes," Piper said, her eyes changing colors and a smile on her face as well.

Annabeth could feel her face growing hot.

She glanced back at Percy who was trying his best to suppress his grin, but he was doing an awful job at it. He leaned forward on his elbows. "Oh, so I guess you liked our date a few nights ago."

Piper stared at him in shock as her jaw hung open. She started to gasp, but then regained herself as she straightened and closed her mouth. Her eyes were glowing with blue and anticipation and the corners of her mouth were tugging upward. "You were her date?" She pointed at Percy.

Annabeth put on a straight face but she could feel her heart pounding and her cheeks were burning. She tried not to look at Percy, but for some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off him. But his face was smug and at that moment, she just wanted to smack him upside the head and wipe that look off his face. But she didn't and she told herself that that wasn't right.

"Yeah, I was her date," Percy stood up and shrugged. "Is that hard so believe?" there was a crease in between his eyebrows.

Piper considered this. Then she raised a shoulder. "Nope, not really; my bet is that you guys will get together in no time."

"_Piper!_" Annabeth hissed.

She shrugged, her eyes growing wide with innocence. "What? I'm just saying!"

Percy laughed and his ears turned a little pink. "So what do you guys want?"

Piper stepped up to the counter and lightly laid her hands on it. "Oh, I'll just have a coffee to go."

"To go?" Annabeth asked with her brow furrowing. "I thought we were eating lunch together,"

"Well, since I found out that Percy was your date, there's been a, uh, change of plans." Piper's lips twisted into a smile. "While you stay here."

Below the counter, Annabeth kicked her. "Um, but I don't get off work until—"

"Oh, don't worry," Piper waved it off. "I'm giving you the rest of the day off."

"What if I don't want the rest of the day off?" Annabeth countered.

"Wow, look at this weather!" Piper gasped as she looked out the window.

The entire sky was turning a sort of dark blue and gray and the rain pounded against the window. Lightning streaked the sky and, as if on cue, thunder roared and it put a chill up Annabeth's spine.

"I don't think you should be working during this bad weather," Piper said.

"Then how are you going to get home?" Annabeth gave her a look and then put her hand on her cocked hip.

Piper plucked the car keys from Annabeth's fingers and then she jingled them in front of her gray eyes. "I can drive, you know."

"During this weather?"

"I'll be careful."

Annabeth opened her mouth to retort, but she didn't know what else to say. She had been backed into this corner and she wasn't going to act like a frightened bird—especially not in front of Percy. No, she was going to play this out casually. Besides, what was so wrong about being with him?

She mentally slapped herself in the face. Why was she being so hesitant with him? Nothing can go wrong; she liked spending time with him.

Percy slid a paper coffee cup across the counter towards her and Piper took it, said a quick goodbye, and walked right into the storm.

"Huh," Percy scoffed softly. "Well, bye, then,"

Annabeth snorted and turned back to him. They didn't talk for a while, and Annabeth started to feel a little uncomfortable, but then Percy asked her if she wanted anything to drink.

She replied with coffee and then added on as he was making it, "So how come you're still here?"

"I believe I've been asking us both that same question ever since I got hired." He said without looking up at her.

She chuckled. "No, I meant since there's a storm. How come you didn't close the café?"

"Well," Percy said, "you and Piper came along right when I was going to."

"Oh. Sorry." Annabeth stared down at the counter.

"Don't be," He smiled up at her. "I like hanging with you,"

She pressed her lips together and they curved upward in a small smile.

Percy could see her eyes twinkling again as they looked up at him through her dark lashes. She looked beautiful as always, but this time even without the moonlight. Something tickled the inside of his breastbone and he returned the smile as he slid her the coffee—in a mug instead.

She thanked him and took a drink. It was bland and tasteless. It tasted like cardboard and she took a long time swallowing it down. It burned her mouth, but not because it was hot—which it wasn't. She knew there was something wrong with it. For a split second, she thought he had poisoned her, but then she turned that thought away and jerked the cup away from her lips.

Annabeth looked up at him, licking her lips because that awful taste was still settling on her tongue and she didn't like it.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed. "What'd you do with it?!"

Percy knitted his eyebrows together. "What are you talking about?"

"The coffee! It tastes awful!"

"That hurts my feelings,"

"Did you poison it?" She asked anyways.

"No! Of course I didn't—" He stopped and had a thoughtful look on his face.

This made Annabeth more scared. "You _did_, didn't you?!" She accused and scooted it farther away from her.

"No, no I didn't! I wouldn't want to kill you," Percy said. "I guess I just forgot to put something in it."

He knew something she didn't. She could tell by the teasing look in his eyes. It was like when he tried out her nickname and almost kissed her.

Her gaze snapped back up to him. She watched him as he stared at the coffee, adding in the thing he had forgotten. Annabeth observed him and she pictured the look on his face when he almost did that that night. It boggled her whether he was really going to do it or not. She wanted to know so badly, and she wandered _why_ he would want to. Did he like her?

Something sparked in her chest and she suddenly imagined the thought. If he did like her, if she liked him.

"There," he gave her the mug back. "Now try it,"

Annabeth was taken from her thoughts and she grasped the gray ceramic in her hands. She brought it to her lips hesitantly because that awful taste still lingered on her taste buds. It made her feel like brushing her teeth twice.

But she tasted it, and it was sweet and had that loving taste to it again. It almost didn't even taste like coffee, and she loved it. The taste was familiar to her but she didn't bother it and kept drinking.

Percy chuckled. "Wow, look at what I started," he mumbled.

She brought the cup away from her and swallowed, her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The reason why it tasted bad at first is because I forgot to put seaweed in yours." He smiled at her. "I guess I've got you loving seaweed coffee, Wise Girl,"

She frowned at him.

_Oh, great_, she thought.

But then again, it was _really_ good seaweed coffee.

"I guess so, Seaweed Brain," and she took another drink.

Percy chuckled and then wiped off the counter as lightning flashed. He untied his apron and took it off and walked around the counter and towards her. He wore jeans and a blue shirt. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

Annabeth made her way to a table next to the window where the rain pounded against it. Percy sat next to her, closest to the window. He stared up at the storm and Annabeth set her cup on the table.

For a while, they stared at the storm.

But then Percy turned and looked at her, peering into her eyes and then he looked back up at the sky—then back at her, and then back towards the sky.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing," he shrugged. But then he decided against it and turned back to her, his elbow strung over the back of his chair. "Hey, where'd you get your gray eyes? Like whose gene did you get it from? Or are you forgetting to tell me that you and your maid friends are really part of the _X-Men_?"

She smiled a little, but tilted her head. "What?"

He leaned closer, his eyes squinting as he stared at her. "Are you a mutant? Do you seriously not know who the _X-Men_ are?"

She narrowed her eyes a little and shook her head slightly. "I know they're some sort of comic, but I don't really—"

Percy scoffed as he threw his head back. ""_Some sort of comic'?!_ Are you kidding me, it's-it's like, one of the coolest things Stan Lee has ever come up with!"

Annabeth blinked at him.

"Wolverine? Rogue? Xavier? Magneto? Nothing?" He asked, shaking his head a little with each name.

"Um…I've heard about Wolverine," she shrugged.

He paused, as if considering about this. Then he released a breath. "Well, at least you know who _he_ is," he mumbled. "I can't believe you don't know about the _X-Men_," he stared at her, the corners of his mouth tugging upward. "I used to read all of the Marvel comics when I was a kid. _Silver Surfer_, _The Amazing Spider-Man_…Even my pajamas were Captain America."

"Well, while you were into Marvel, I was into Junie B. Jones and Nancy Drew," Annabeth said as she slid her chair back a little and brought up her knees, crossing her ankles on the seat cushion, and resting her knees against the table. She rested back against the chair, and pushed back, balancing on the back legs.

He gave her a look. "But…they aren't superheroes." Percy said matter-of-factly.

"Well, we're all different."

Suddenly, there was a spark in Percy's eyes. "Oh, yeah, different. So, Wise Girl, where'd you get your gray eyes?"

She shrugged and took a drink from her seaweed coffee. "I know I didn't get it from my dad. It must've been my mother,"

Percy's eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. "Do you not—"

"My mom left us when I was born. My dad hasn't ever told me why, though,"

Percy didn't say anything he just nodded. After a while, he said, "I'm sure her eyes were just as serious as yours."

Annabeth shot him a glare.

"Oh, I meant pretty. As _pretty_ as yours."

She gave a small, fake smile and rolled her eyes.

Percy chuckled but then there was a suddenly loud thunderclap and Percy jumped as his eyes were wide. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

But Annabeth was perfectly calm. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Scared of a little thunder?"

He gave her a look. "That was _not_ a _little_ thunder."

There was a bolt of lightning in the distance and it lit up the whole café. Percy couldn't help it but he snapped his head and looked over his shoulder, gripping the table and Annabeth's chair, where his arm had found its way behind her neck.

Annabeth kept observing him. His sea green eyes were filled with startlement and he sat very still like he was sitting on a bomb. She wondered why he was acting this way with a storm.

Then she gasped as the answer came to her. "Are you afraid of a _storm_?"

"No," he said bluntly and stubbornly and he took his arm back, sliding down in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest like a little kid.

"Oh, my gosh! You are! You're afraid of thunderstorms!"

Percy didn't say anything except glance sideways at her.

"Well there's nothing to be afraid of, Percy," Annabeth said as she took a small sip of her seaweed coffee. "It's not like Zeus is going to smite you with his lightning bolt."

Percy ignored it and explained, "It's because when I was a kid, I mean, thunderstorms were like, humongous to me then. I was scared out of my mind from them. And my stepdad, Gabe—"

"The oaf," Annabeth confirmed.

He smiled. "Yes, the oaf. He would yell at me because I was crying from those storms. And I can still imagine his ugly face as he stood over me and just _screamed_ at me. He was scary when he was angry but with the thunder and lightning as well…" Percy shook his head. "And now whenever I hear thunder and storms, I think of him and I just want to punch him in the face."

Annabeth had her lips pressed together, but she opened them to say something but Percy wasn't finished.

"Or better yet, I can get you to judo-flip him and then kick him in the face so hard he has a heart attack." He nods his head toward her.

A laugh bubbled from her throat. "But then I would go to jail."

Percy thought about this and he stared at his knees, one side of his lips tugged upward. He had pulled his knees up against the table like she had. Then he looked up at her. "No," he countered. "If it was of a heart attack, it'd just be of natural causes. No one would know," There was a twinkle in his eye.

Annabeth smiled at him and shook her head. "As much as I would love to do that for you…no."

He smiled. "Darn,"

"You have an actual reason to be afraid of something." Annabeth said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there are two different ways to be afraid of something. Most people are afraid of something just because they don't like it. But, for people like you, you're afraid of something because you actually did have a bad past with it."

"So what are you afraid of?"

She gave him a look.

"Oh, come on, even _you_ _has_ to be afraid of something."

"I'm not telling."

"Come on, Wise Girl, you're going to pull that on me again?"

"I'm not telling because you'll use it against me."

"No, I won't. Just tell me. I told you _my_ fear."

Annabeth frowned, wondering if she should tell him or not.

"At least tell me if it's like mine or—"

"Spiders," she said. "I'm scared of spiders."

He looked at her. He blinked.

She blinked back.

They didn't talk for a while because no one knew what to say.

"Spiders?" Percy's eyebrow rose.

She nodded. "Spiders."

Then he narrowed his eyes a little. "Why?"

"Well, it was on my seventh birthday party. My aunt—my dad's sister—made me this special cupcake. I bit into it and I saw"—she shivered and looked a little sick—"these black lines and they were moving. And they turned out to be legs because it popped out of the cupcake and it was a…a…" her face twisted into a knot like she was imagining the memory again and wished it would go away.

Percy made a sick, strangling noise as well. "Oh, gross!"

Annabeth nodded and took a drink of her seaweed coffee to make the bad taste in her mouth go away.

"Ew, I guess you're also afraid of cupcakes, huh?" Percy scrunched his nose.

Annabeth nodded. "And I haven't been back to my aunt's house since."

"So…" Percy stared at the table. "Did she put it in there on purpose or did it just…hop in it while she was making it and didn't see it?"

Annabeth shrugged. "She said she didn't see it, but," she shook her head with a disgusted look on her face. "I don't believe a word she says."

"I bet she feels bad if it was on accident." Percy looked over at her.

"She didn't even say sorry for it." Annabeth said. "And I was screaming my head off and ran out of the house."

Percy snorted. "Aw, well, she still might say sorry."

Annabeth looked over at him. "She's been dead for 15 years."

"Oh…" he frowned. "How'd she die? Spider bite infection?" Then he gasped and laid a hand on her arm. "Oh, my gosh, Annabeth! You're like the anti-Spider-Man!"

Annabeth snorted. "No. I actually don't know why."

"Now she's going to haunt you and bring spiders with her." Percy said.

"She _is_ _not_."

"Yeah, she is. Because you didn't go see her again."

Annabeth lightly punched him in the arm. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

Percy smiled over at her and he laughed. The laugh made Annabeth's heart flutter and she couldn't stop smiling at him. Then he turned back to the storm and watched it  
with a sad look in his eyes. The color of the sky was turning into a wispy gray and the rain was starting to let off a little.

But Annabeth wasn't looking at the storm. She was staring at Percy. She took in the outline of his profile again, even though she already had it memorized. She took in every detail. The small simples and wrinkles behind his eyes, and that told her that he smile a lot. That, she could believe. She liked his hair and how it was so messy, but made him look handsome at the same time.

Annabeth tilted her head to the side and the thought came back into her head.

_Percy and I_…She frowned and kept staring at him again. Something churned in her chest and she realized that she didn't really want to leave him here. But she knew she had to go soon.

Percy turned to her. "Looks like the storm is going away,"

She blinked. "Yeah," she said softly.

He reached forward and Annabeth could feel the place under her jaw tingle like it was waiting for his touch there. But it never came because he reached for her cup instead. It was empty and Annabeth let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Percy stood and reached from the front of the counter and put it on the other side.

"I should probably go." Annabeth said and placed her feet back onto the floor.

"You want me to drive you?" He offered.

Annabeth smiled up at him.

* * *

"So how come you're so into Greek mythology?" Percy asked as he drove.

Annabeth shrugged. "I think it's interesting. Plus, my dad's crazy about history so he got me into the myths first."

"So while I'm being read Norse mythology as a bedtime story, you're being read Greek? Hm," Percy said. "Interesting."

"Norse mythology?"

He glanced sideways at her. "You know," he raised a shoulder. "Thor,"

Comprehension passed over her face and she nodded. "Oh,"

"So why didn't you want to get that book from that bookstore?"

Annabeth shrugged. "When would we have the time to read it again?"

Percy shrugged. "During our free time."

She smiled at him. "I don't know," she said. "It's just a book anyways."

"Just a book? Dude, no, it's from our first date!"

Annabeth's breath was lost from her. For some reason, the words jumbled up and she couldn't explain anything. He had actually cared about something from their first date? And he sounded like he wanted to keep it.

"That 'date' was only to get even." She said.

Percy was silent. The car was silent.

Percy's heart weighed down. He didn't like that she only thought it was just for him to get even. That, after everything, she didn't care that she could be holding something from their first date. Percy clenched his jaw and then jerked the steering wheel the left, making a sharp U-turn in the middle of the road. He was glad there weren't any other cars around.

Annabeth yelped and cursed. "Percy, what are you doing?!"

He didn't answer. He just drove faster and memorized where they were when they first walked upon it. After a while, he pulled to the side and parked against the sidewalk in front of the bookstore.

"Percy," she said as she looked out her window at it. "I—"

"Come on," he said and then thrust the car door open and slammed it behind him.

She blinked and knew she had said something wrong. This played with her heart a little and she realized that this must mean he really did care; that it was more than getting even. Annabeth stepped out of the car and followed him into the bookstore.

Percy walked fast to the back of the bookstore and Annabeth gave him a small glare behind his back. He wasn't paying attention as she slipped through one row of bookshelves and hurried along the wall, taking a shortcut. She got there before he did and he was surprised when he found her pulling out the book as he turned into the row.

"Wh—how did you—?"

She smirked at him. "Took a shortcut,"

Percy could see the softness in her grey eyes. Suddenly he forgave her for what she said about the date. Suddenly, he didn't care except for the fact that he was here with her now.

She flipped through the pages. "Where did we even leave off at?"

"Um, Arachne, I think. And that myth about the Athena statue…?"

"The Athena Parthenos," Annabeth corrected. She looked back up at him with a light smile. "But I can't believe you were actually listening."

Percy shrugged. "I had to, or else I would've fallen asleep and you would've gotten made at me."

"Mmhm…so what happened with the Athena Parthenos?"

He paused.

"Oh, I should've known."

"No, no, wait. The Greeks thought that the Romans stole it, so it caused them all to hate each other."

Now Annabeth was the one to pause.

"See? I know it." Percy countered. "But if they're both saying neither of them have it, then who has it? A giant statue of a goddess doesn't normally just disappear to nowhere. Doesn't it say that it has something to do with Arachne?" Percy put his fingers to the string of words in the book and began scanning through it.

"No," Annabeth said. "At least I don't think so. Why would Arachne steal it?"

"Um, to get back at Athena for turning her into a spider." Percy said matter-of-factly as his eyes slid up to her. "Duh," then he looked back to the book.

"But she's already been turned into a spider _by_ Athena. She would know better than to keep messing with the goddess just to get some petty revenge." Annabeth said and the gears in her brain were turning.

"Doesn't it have something to do with Tartarus? I thought that it mentioned that in here…" Percy asked as he still went through the book.

"_No_," Annabeth said like it was obvious as she still held the book open in her hands. "And Arachne doesn't have the Athena Parthenos. That'd be preposterous."

"Good," Percy said, straightening and taking his hand away from the book. "Because they're both creepy. I'd never want to be anywhere near them."

But Annabeth was still thinking out loud. "How would she even get it with all her spider arms in the way…?" She shivered at the thought of spiders.

* * *

"Thanks for the ride, Percy," Annabeth said as he pulled up to the curb next to her apartment building.

"No problem." He smiled and then put the car in park. He rested one wrist over the steering wheel.

"So…do you want to take the book?" Annabeth asked as it sat between them.

Percy stared at it. "No, you take it. You love Greek mythology more than I do."

"But I already know practically everything in here,"

"And I don't. But if I tried reading it all, I'd fall asleep again." He said.

"That's true," so Annabeth took the Greek mythology book. "I can't believe you fall asleep during it. It's not that boring."

"But it's kind of predictable."

Annabeth gave him an offended look.

His shoulders rose. "I'm just sayin'! I mean, there's always somebody who says they can do something better than the gods and then the gods get all pissed and bratty and make other people to do their dirty work for them. And then, like Arachne and Medusa, the thing that they thought they were better at, is turned against them to where they can't do that anymore." He looked at her, a little out of breath. "The gods are just selfish. And seriously unfair."

Annabeth gave him a look. "They're gods. What are they supposed to do?"

Percy stared at her. "Okay, you're mad. Get out of my car before you flip your lid."

She tried to suppress it, but the smile crept through that barrier and played on her lips.

Percy smiled back, but then he was solemn again. "No, I'm serious. It's almost twelve in the morning and I have to work later."

"Oh, great!" Annabeth hissed when he told her what time it was. "I've gotta work, too…"

"Then get out,"

She glared at him. "Don't be so pushy,"

"We've got no choice," he shrugged. "We've both gotta go." Percy smiled at her. "Go get some sleep."

She smiled and then turned to the door, grabbing the handle and pulled, but didn't push open the door. She felt a churning in her stomach and something inside of her didn't want to leave Percy like this. Annabeth simply didn't want to leave him—at all; ever. She realized how much she did like him—she knew this when he almost kissed her the time before.

Annabeth stared up at her reflection in the window and looked into her grey eyes. She suddenly knew what she wanted to do.

"Is there something wrong with the—" Percy was about to say but Annabeth turned back around toward him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pressed her lips to his.

He froze as a jolt was sent through him. Then he leaned forward and did like he did before—placed his thumb under her jaw and kissed her. Annabeth smoothed her hand over his ear and her fingers tangled into his hair, which was soft.

They pulled back, their noses now barely touching.

His sea green eyes caressed over her grey eyes and Percy smirked.

"And you said it was just to get even."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes and she patted his cheek. "Be careful driving back home, Seaweed Brain."

Then she let go of him and climbed out of the car.

* * *

**Oh, gods, I have so much to say. Yeah, there were a lot of X-Men and Wolverine references but that's cuz I saw The Wolverine last weekend, and it was amazing! Especially the end scene! If you haven't seen it yet, then you really need to see it because not only is the plot wonderful, but Hugh Jackman is hot as always. He did a wonderful job (like always). It's funny because, for me, right before the big climatic reveal of the movie, the power shut off in the entire theater because there was a storm. It went off at the absolute worst moment. Everyone in the theater was like, "WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" **

**Anyway, great movie and I totally recommend people to see it right away.**

**Another thing: guys, guess what? SEA OF MONSTERS COMES OUT IN LESS THAN A WEEK! AROIRJAOIERJOAIJEKASKDJFALSDKFKDJFKEJALKGNAERIGJE I AM SOOOOO EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE! XD Yeah, the first one sucked, but I think this one is going to be completely to the book. I cannot wait for it to come out.**

**So, there were a lot of little teasers in this chapter... :3 I had to. I saw my chance and I took it. I was reading ****_that chapter_**** in Mark of Athena again and this time, I imagined more of the depth and expressions in Percy and Annabeth's words and I cried. I'm really tearing up right now just thinking about it. **

**And it's funny because everyone on tumblr and all over the internet is freaking out because they read that part "As long as we're together". But now that the movies are starting up, just think about when the Mark of Athena movie comes out (hopefully they'll do the second series - and hopefully it'll be right with the books) and you have to watch Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario fall into Tartarus. I'm pretty sure the whole fandom will die all over again.**

**So I'm going to stop rambling. I hope you really liked this chapter! I promise that the next chapter will have more Jasper and maybe some Thaluke? Again, sorry about the wait. It was my sister's birthday. And I don't own PJO. Please review so I know you're liking it! :)**


	6. Crossing Paths

**Hey, guys! I'm sorry for the long wait! I'm on vacation but I've finally got a chance to update! It's kinda long, and I hope you enjoy the Thaluke and Jasper! (Please no flames if you're not a Thaluke shipper) :) I do not own PJO.**

* * *

Thalia sat out on the balcony of their apartment. Their flat faced the alley. Thalia stared at the bricks that were plastered together and in the corner of her eye she could see a sliver of the New York streets. An old lady lived in the apartment building across from them and she treated her cats a little _too_ well. She always left the window open so she also treated Thalia well because she kept the TV on for her cats. Fortunately, for Thalia, she got to watch free TV.

But she wasn't exactly in the mood for it. She sat in one of the dirty lawn chairs that sat on their balcony, her knees drawn up to her chest, and her arms crossed on her kneecaps. Her chin buried into her soft, gray, over-sized sweatshirt. She was buried deep in her mind and her troubles. So many problems riding on her shoulders and making her back ache and clutching her heart in a death grip.

Firstly, she got fired. She didn't tell any of them. But it wasn't her fault; their daughter had a sleepover with teenagers who had their tiny bodies filled with hormones and a smartass attitude that tried to compete with her. Just one smack, that was all she asked for, and that led to her being kicked out. Those girls had given her looks, and she desperately wanted to punch the daylights out of their smirks.

But she couldn't, and she didn't feel like it, because secondly, there was Luke. Her best friend since before college, who had been by her side all this time, and he decided that now was the time to drift away from them. He was getting into trouble, she knew. The way he acted, the way he was never there anymore, the way he just ignored her half the time. They were all reasons for the scar on his face.

And yet, the thought of him made her heart seize and retract in her chest. She buried her nose and freckles deeper into her sleeves, closing her eyes, and turning off the electric blue light for a split second.

And in that split second, she saw another pair of blue eyes. At first, they were bright with a twist of dullness in them. And then they turned electrifying cerulean. She remembered those wide eyes on a small face. She opened her eyes.

Thirdly, there was Jason, her brother. Her little brother who went into the military—but a different military, one she hadn't ever heard before, called Camp Jupiter. She hadn't seen him since. He wrote letters to her, and then they stopped because of her. Thalia had sent letters, but began to get too caught up in her work and she stopped. She didn't want to, but soon, she forgot.

Until yesterday, when she stumbled upon a letter that she had taken out of the mail years ago, but forgot to read. The last letter ever sent between them. And she read it.

All those years, when the sudden thought of him came up, she wondered—and that soon led to convincing herself—that he had died. That something horrific had happened to him in that camp.

But in that letter, he explained that he dropped out and was settling down. She gasped sharply when he was in the same state as her. He didn't put the full address, and as much as she wanted to jump in the car to see him, she couldn't.

He explained that he thinks he met someone, someone nice. And that he can't wait for Thalia to meet her. It was odd, because he didn't mention what this girl's name was. Jason told her that everything was well with him. He wondered what she was doing.

Thalia wondered the same thing.

What was she going to do?

In this moment, she just sat, with the letter in the pocket of her sweat jacket. She could feel it against her stomach from the way she sat. Her gaze went up to that open window and she watched as the old lady shuffled through her apartment wearing pink slippers and a nightgown. She plucked her black cat with a white diamond-shape on its forehead from its small bed in the corner and carried it over to the loveseat in front of the TV.

"Now you sit on down here while I take a bath and put my face on," She said.

Thalia smiled a little. "Put my face on" was such a creepy sentence, but she knew it meant putting her makeup on. Thalia wondered if she would use that phrase when she was older, telling her grandchildren—or cats—that she was putting on her heavy makeup.

She would never give up on her black eyeliner and mascara. If she did, it meant the end of the world.

The reason how she knew what the lady had said from such a distance was because she could read lips. Luke had taught her how. During college, when she used to work at one of the restaurants at the school, he leaned on the counter and they watched the customers and predicted what they were saying.

The thought of it, the thought of that moment, made her heart bruise. It churned from the pain and her eyelids fluttered down a little and she settled her gaze on nothing.

She heard the sights around her: cars honking, curses being yelled, just a lot of mechanical machinery rattling through the city. Sometimes, she liked it. But now, she wished she could just mute it all.

Then Thalia heard a long and low screech. It almost sounded like a baby crying. She looked back up and saw the black cat on the windowsill of its apartment. It stared at her. She stared back.

Then it hopped down into the balcony and then hopped up, with its perfectly poised paws and landed gracefully on the black railing. With the color of its fur, it looked like it was a cat wearing a tux. There was a white shape that traveled down its chest, kind of like a tie. Its paws were like it was wearing white mittens.

_That's probably its name_, Thalia thought. _Mittens_.

She saw its tail thoughtfully swing back and forth, back and forth, almost like it was trying to hypnotize her. But she narrowed her eyes at it, wondering why it was staring at her. Its slit, cat eyes blinking at her.

It meowed again, as if asking what was wrong.

When she didn't meow back, it cocked its head to the side.

She raised her head up a little. With a small smile on her face, she tilted her head a little as well.

It bat its paw at her and then turned and hopped down, and its tail disappeared into its apartment.

Thalia wondered what that was about.

"What are you doing out here?" a voice asked from behind her.

She jumped, her breath catching, and she looked over her shoulder.

Luke was climbing through, a concerned smirk on his face that made his scar curve. She frowned at him. For some reason, she knew that he was going to mix all of her troubles and smoosh it into one giant catastrophe. That's why she looked away from him.

She mumbled, "Fresh air,"

"Whoa," he said softly as he noticed her attitude. He sat down next to her on the same lawn chair and rested his elbows on his thighs. "What's wrong?" There was a crease in between Luke's eyebrows.

"Nothing is wrong," she said through gritted teeth as she buried her mouth deeper into her sleeve.

His eyebrows rose, obviously impressed about something from her. He pressed his lips together and slowly rubbed his hands together. "If nothing's wrong, then why are you lying to me?"

He didn't look at her. He looked up at the sky and the white, puffy clouds silently drifting by.

But Thalia looked at him, resting the side of her head on her sleeve. There was a small crook in the middle of his nose. She wanted to smooth her finger over it, as if she could make it go away. But she resisted it. His blue eyes were shining, not from tears, but because his eyes were so bright.

Finally, as if he sensed her looking at him, he looked back at her.

"Hm?" He asked, nudging her to respond.

"I'm telling you, Luke, nothing is wrong."

"Alright," he nodded his head, looking down at the balcony floor. "It's not just me, you know."

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrows pulled together.

"The cat noticed something was wrong, too,"

Thalia rolled her eyes away from his smile, trying her best to suppress her own. Was that was that cat was doing? She didn't think so, but then she wondered how long Luke had been standing there, watching her.

Luke put an arm around her, bringing her close to his side and he laughed. She could feel his ribs and chest moving against her and the rumble vibrate through her. She felt her ears warm a little but she still looked away from him.

"Thals, I know something's wrong."

"So then why'd you have to ask me?"

"Just making conversation," he said softly and looked down at her. He squeezed her shoulder. "C'mon,"

"What do you think is wrong?" She glared at the building across from them with a scowl on her face. She didn't want to talk about it, and yet again, she wanted to tell Luke anything. It felt like she was holding her breath back and biting on it—if that were possible—and it even hurt her lungs that she couldn't tell _anything_.

She took that back. She _could_, she just didn't _want_ to; she didn't know how.

"Well, first of all, it's a work day," he said, and then he took a pause of breath. "And yet, you're here. I just came in a while ago. You were supposed to be at work hours ago. But they didn't call, asking where you were."

Thalia bit her lips and could taste blood, she chomped down on it so hard. He couldn't see it, but she clenched her sleeves a little harder underneath her jacket.

Nevertheless, she didn't say anything.

Luke squeezed her shoulder again, and dipped his head a little. "Did you get fired, Thals?" he asked softly. "It's okay if you did; it's just…why won't you tell me?"

She sighed a little and turned her head to look at him. "It just proves how much I hate teenage girls with attitudes."

He laughed again, and it rumbled through her again, and made her heart trip over its heartbeat. Thalia smiled a little.

"Oh, no," he said. "What'd you do?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't do anything. _They_ did." She met his eyes, and they held the gaze for a long time. Her smile faded and she became painfully solemn again. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But you did get fired, huh?" He hugged her tighter.

"Yeah," she mumbled bitterly.

"It's okay,"

"No!" she snapped. "Nothing is okay!" Thalia leaned away from him and he was forced to take his arm back.

"So now you admit it,"

"Shut up!" she choked out, tears stinging her eyes and she looked up, her chin wobbling and her voice cracking.

Luke was surprised by this because she sounded so broken; like she could shatter in a million pieces and no matter how hard he tried, he probably wouldn't fit her together again. Never in the same exact way she was.

A small track of tears traveled down her face on both cheeks. They were both wet eyeliner and colored her freckles gray.

Luke stared at her.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said as she swiped at the tears before they reached her jaw.

He glanced away. "Thalia, you have to tell me what's wrong."

"Why should I? You don't even care anymore,"

Luke snapped back up at her and looked as if she had just slapped him in the face. There was a concerned crease in between his eyebrows. "Wh-what—where'd you get that from? Of course I care!"

"Barely," she murmured bitterly, her voice now normal, and she wiped her tears from her slender, pale hands to her sweatshirt.

He looked hurt. "Why would you say that?"

"_Because you're never around anymore!_ You're never the same! You've changed and you don't do _anything_ anymore." Thalia said. "There's something wrong with you as much as something's wrong with me."

Luke stared at her solemnly. He didn't argue about it, which told Thalia that she had been right about him. The light slowly flickered from his blue eyes and it seemed like a shadow passed over his face, even though the sun was still brightly lit like a giant light bulb, and it made his eyes look more sunken into his skull, tired. It picked out the hollow places under his high cheek bones and made his jaw squarer. Actually, it didn't. He was just clenching his jaw harder.

Luke looked away from her and she suddenly regretted what she said. But she didn't show that to him. She set her feet down on the floor, and the paper made a crackling noise as she moved. Thalia was wearing purple shorts that were barely hidden underneath her too-big sweatshirt so her legs looked longer. They were so pale, from all those years hidden under jeans, and they were skinny and bony. It made her black hair seem darker and her eyeliner more thick.

He curled his fingers into his palm, clenching them, and a vein hardened over his knuckles.

This action kind of scared Thalia; she'd never seen him get so angry enough to have a maddening passion about it. She reached over, her slender fingers spreading and reaching out to touch his clenched hand that he rested on his knee. And her fingers slipped into the tight space in the middle—between his fingers and palm.

This made him open up his hand. It reminded Thalia of an oyster. How they're so hard to pry apart, but once you do, there's a beautiful pearl sitting inside of it.

Thalia frowned at him as she squeezed his hand, but he didn't move. His hand lay out, still open.

It was almost like he was being hesitant, or because he was guilty of something. Another thing that weighed on Thalia's shoulders about him was that she knew he always cared for Annabeth. She didn't know how, but all she needed to know was that he was always right there beside her, helping her all the time when she needed it. It made Thalia feel like she was invisible.

"What's wrong, Luke?" She asked softly.

He didn't respond for a long time—so long, Thalia thought he might never talk to her again.

But, he said, "Just…trouble. I'm trying to get out of it, but," he sighed and he looked up at her, giving her a smile though he didn't look amused. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Yes, it does," Thalia protested and tightened her hold on his hand. "Remember what I said—you're as much in trouble as I am. I need to know about what's going on. I care about you." She choked out and it was like the words were strangling her because it took her breath away. But she breathed deeply and added on, "I don't want you to get hurt. I can help you with whatever—"

"No." He broke her off in a sharp voice, but his hand twitched around her cold fingers. "No, you can't help me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I…" he sighed, then he met her eyes. "If I tell you, you have to tell me what's wrong with you."

Thalia gritted her teeth and was about to snap back an angry retort, but then thought against it. She wouldn't tell him about her feelings for him. That's the only thing she wouldn't tell.

She nodded. "Fine,"

Luke leaned his head back with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. He seemed surprised by her response.

"What?"

"Nothing;" he said, "Just thought you would argue with me instead of agreeing."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it." She brought her hand back, and smirked a little.

Luke laughed, and there was a small bright flare in his eyes again. But along with the laugh, it died just as it was born. He clasped his hands together, not meeting her eyes. "I…I'm in debt with a lot of people. I owe them too much money."

"How?" Thalia was baffled.

"I don't know. One day, I had to borrow a car from someone and then there was a small accident and he didn't have insurance so I had to pay him. I had to borrow money from people, and now I owe practically everyone." He said and looked up at her.

"How much?" Thalia wanted to know.

"More than a hundred—each."

Thalia gave a low whistle. "Jeez, Luke."

"I know. That's why I need money."

"What about your job?"

"What job?" he chuckled, but didn't look amused, as he looked at her. "I never really had one. Just little jobs that…" he shook his head. "Didn't help much."

He looked as if the world had been lifted off his shoulders, but he tried to mask it with a solemn shadow.

"So what about you?" he nudged her.

She glanced down. "I got fired,"

Luke couldn't help but smile. "So I was right,"

Thalia snapped her piercing eyes back up to him. "Shut up—I was also right about you being in trouble."

The smiled dropped. "Right. Sorry,"

She had a confident smirk, but nevertheless continued. "And now I don't have a job. And I found this," she pulled out the letter from her sweat jacket and handed it to him.

He softly took it with a questioning crease in between his eyebrows and unfolded the paper. Luke began to read it, his eyes slowly trailing back and forth, and the crease began to disappear.

"Who's Jason?" he asked.

"My brother,"

Luke stared at her with wide eyes. "You have a _brother?_ You never told me that."

She shrugged. "I didn't tell anyone. No one needed to know."

Luke ignored it and kept reading. But then he paused. "So…his name is Jason _Grace_?"

Thalia looked over at him, narrowing her electric eyes at him. "Yeah. Why?"

He chuckled, his scar rippling. "I can't believe I never noticed it! This is insane. I knew both of your last names and—"

"What the heck are you talking about?"

Luke's brows furrowed as he stared at her. "Didn't Annabeth tell you?"

She pursed her lips. "Didn't Annabeth tell me _what?_"

"She works as Piper's maid." He said, but Thalia still stared at him like he'd gone crazy. "Piper's full name is Piper _Grace_, married to Jason Grace—your brother."

Thalia stared at him. She blinked, and moved her jaw. "_What?_"

* * *

Jason stroked Piper's cheek as they lay in their haven of sheets and pillows. Their grand bedroom had the lights off but it was daylight outside. Piper smiled and her eyes, filled with violet, glanced toward that window where the curtains were hung to where sunlight barely peaked out and a slanted strip lined the carpet.

She got up, bringing the blanket with her and wrapped it around her bare body. Jason lay, propped up on his elbows with the sheet still over half of his body, and watched her as she padded, barefoot, toward the window. She stood in front of the window and reached up, her fingers curling around the light green curtain, embroidered with gold thread, and she jerked it back. The sunlight poured in and hit her like a cold wind on a humid day.

Jason watched as her eyes brightened and the light cast different shades of her native skin color; around her temples and lines streaking down her cheeks, casting a shadow from her long and dark lashes. It curved out hollow places at her collar bones and neck.

Jason smiled a little. Then she turned back to him and jogged to the bed, and jumped, flopping down on her back next to him. Her hair spread out around her, different layers and different colors that the sunlight that now blazed around the room had tinted her dark hair.

He stroked her hair as well, and twirled it around his finger, though it easily fell as the smaller pieces couldn't ravel that far around his forefinger.

Piper smiled a flipped over, putting her elbows on his chest, her hair now hung over one side of her face, tickling his cheek. He leaned all the way back to where his shoulder blades were against the headboard of the bed and he wrapped his arms around her.

"So, I guess it's a good thing I gave Annabeth the day off," Piper said, her fingers dancing on his shoulders.

"I guess so," he murmured and he strained his head up to press his lips to hers.

"Maybe it worked this time," Piper said against his lips, cutting him off.

"Maybe," he kissed her again.

"I hope it did," she pulled away, looking the other way, her eyes going into a daze.

"Me too," he kissed her cheek.

"What if it's a girl?" She squealed. "That would be absolutely wonderful!"

Jason pulled back, a little hurt. "Well," he stammered, "what if it's a boy?"

Her face broke out in startlement and a polite smile. "Oh! Oh, of course! That would be just as wonderful!"

"But you just said—"

She cut him off with a kiss. "Sparky, you're over-thinking it. I meant I was glad for both of the genders." She kissed him again and then rolled off of him, slipping off the bed and then making her way to the bathroom. She called out to him. "I mean, I'd be grateful for both genders!" She gasped and when she reached the doorframe, she grinned back at him. "Wouldn't it be even better to have twins?!" She giggled with excitement and then walked inside the bathroom.

Jason pondered for a moment. He imagined in his mind himself holding a baby in each hand. Both crying and him trying frantically—but failing—to calm them down. He didn't even have a hand to feed them or have enough room to rock them. He didn't have either or even the bravery to see what was trapped in their diaper.

Jason lay there for a moment, taking that thought in.

"Twins?" He said, his voice somehow climbing an octave higher.

"Or maybe even triplets!" Piper cried with glee from the bathroom.

Jason couldn't even _fathom that_ thought.

Where would he even hold _that_ baby?

"Um…I-I think three would be a little too much to handle for our first time, Pipes,"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! I think we would take perfect care of all of them!"

He blinked and cleared his throat. "Um. Sure, if you say so,"

Piper popped her head from the bathroom. "Unless if you think you can't handle it."

Jason sat up, his legs half-way criss-crossed. His hands lay limply in his lap. "Well, it's just that…what if we can't take care of all three of them? What if one feels left out? What if we can't pay for the things all three of them need? What if—"

"Jase," Piper had walked out of the bathroom in a tank top and shorts and she leaned forward, taking his hands. "That's too many 'what-ifs' to worry about. We might have triplets, but then again we might not." She smiled. "It's going to be okay. It'll all work out."

Jason smiled up at her. He put his finger under her chin and tilted it and kissed her again.

She smiled back. "Get dressed; I'm going to the kitchen. I'm hungry," she rubbed her stomach.

"Maybe that's a sign!" He pointed his finger in the air.

As Piper walked away, she smiled back at him.

"Maybe this time will finally be it!"

When she was out the door, he plopped backwards, his already raised arm curved under his neck. Jason sighed and with his free hand, he played with the hem of the sheets. He gave a soft smile at the ceiling, how its lines curved and crossed with other lines. It reminded him of something someone once told him—about how you can tell how long someone's life span is just by one line on that person's palm.

Jason wondered if it was the same with ceilings as his eyes skirted around and traced the lines that led to nowhere.

* * *

"Tell me something, Luke," Thalia said. "About Annabeth,"

"What about Annabeth?" That crease was in between his brows again.

"Well, you seem to be…" she paused, thinking for the right word to say. "more concerned about Annabeth lately."

"What, you think I have…feelings for her?" Luke asked with a small smile.

Thalia's eyebrows rose.

"_You do_," he shouted. But then he blinked and said in a normal voice, "No, not really. She's more like my little sister. Besides, doesn't she have that guy, Percy?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she told me they're really moving along. She really likes him," Thalia wouldn't look at him and she messed with the corner of Jason's letter.

Before Luke could respond, the door to the apartment opened and closed. "Guys!" they heard Annabeth's voice holler. "Anyone home?"

"Yeah," Luke hollered back over his shoulder. He stood. "Speaking of the devil," he mumbled to Thalia.

She smiled a little and he walked back inside, stepping off the balcony.

But Thalia sat there for a while. A deep blush passed across her pale cheeks. Then she stood up, holding her letter in her fingers and then she heard that low screeching noise again. She looked up and that cat was sitting on the windowsill, staring at her again.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It was just a cat, she told herself. Thalia walked back into the apartment, holding the letter in her hand.

Then she remembered about Jason. And that Annabeth knew about him. Anger flared up in her. She looked up as Annabeth was talking to Luke.

"Piper and Jason gave me the day off today," She said.

"How could you not tell me?" Thalia said to her.

Annabeth stopped as she put her bag into a chair. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Well, sorry, I didn't know you'd want to know so much about why I've got the day off."

"No! Not that!"

Luke stared at her, giving her a warning look, telling her that Annabeth couldn't have known more about Jason than he did. But Thalia couldn't believe that they couldn't piece together the last names.

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth was confused. "What's wrong?"

"How could you not know about Jason?!" Thalia felt tears stinging her eyes and that they caused the blurry smudges in her vision. There was a lump in her throat that her voice cracked through. "Why didn't you tell me, Annabeth?"

"Thalia…I don't—"

"Have you ever thought of his last name?"

"It's—," then her face filled with comprehension. "_Grace_,"

Thalia set her jaw and something hot trickled down her face. She wiped it away, but just as soon as she held herself together, she choked out a sob. Jason's face burned in her memory and she just wanted to hold him the way she hadn't held him for so many years.

Annabeth slowly drew in breath and her fingers floated up to her lips. She was truly startled. "I'm so sorry, Thalia," her brows creased together. "I didn't know. You guys look _nothing_ alike so I didn't think it was possible."

This made Thalia's anger go away. It was true, they didn't look _anything_ alike so she couldn't help that Annabeth didn't realize that. No one could, except if they compared their blue eyes.

Thalia looked down at the floor and Annabeth came over and hugged you. "Why didn't you just say so?" Annabeth said softly.

Thalia pulled back. "What do you mean?"

Annabeth looked at her, her gray eyes twinkling with slight confusion. "Well, don't you want to meet him? How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"Years," Luke spoke up for her. Annabeth looked back at him, and then back at Thalia.

Thalia used to see a blush or a different light in Annabeth whenever she looked at Luke. But now, up close, she could see that that was gone. Had Percy caused that, Thalia thought.

But the thought was ignored as Annabeth said, "_Years?_ How could you not have seen your brother for _that long_?" She asked with wide eyes.

Thalia gave her a look. "Well I didn't do it on _purpose_. My job got in the way."

"Which she doesn't have anymore," Luke coughed and made a beeline away from Thalia and the look on her face.

"_Luke!_" she hissed.

"Thalia!" Annabeth exclaimed. "You don't have a job anymore? When did this happen?"

"I just got fired a couple days ago, okay?"

"Why didn't you tell any of us sooner? We could've helped you!"

"Well _Luke_ doesn't have a job _either!_" Thalia pointed at him.

"_What_! Why isn't _anyone_ telling me _anything_ anymore?!" Annabeth cried.

"Oh, and did Thalia forget to mention that she watches the cat lady from across the street?" Luke snickered as he poured himself a glass of water.

Thalia gasped sharply. "That is not _true!_ I only watch her TV!"

"Thalia, that's just weird," Annabeth gave her a look.

"Yeah, well what Luke failed to mention was that he owes practically every badass in the city over a hundred dollars!"

Luke stopped pouring water from a pitcher and looked at her. "Hey!" he pointed a finger at her. "Telling each other's secrets was _not_ mentioned in the deal!"

"Oops, you should've told me that _before_ you _told Annabeth my secrets!_"

"What deal?!" Annabeth cried again. But then she waved her hands around. "Don't answer that! Everyone just _shut up!_"

Thalia and Luke stopped and looked at her. Their mouths were closed and they watched as Annabeth had her eyes shut, taking deep breaths.

She suddenly released a breath—and it almost sounded like it was full of relief. Her gray eyes were churning, and Thalia knew that that was the sign that the gears were turning in her head.

"I've got an idea." Annabeth announced.

Thalia sashayed past her and into the kitchen. "Oh, what a surprise,"

"I think I know how to solve _both_ of your problems."

"That's impossible," Luke waved it off. But then he looked at her, interested by the bright light in his eyes. "How?"

Before Annabeth could answer, Thalia stood next to him and slapped him upside the head.

He yelped and jerked forward, his hand flying up to the spot back there. Luke scowled at Thalia, but she was staring down at her fingernails.

"Do continue, Annabeth," she said.

"Well, first off," Annabeth put her hands on her hips. "You're going to meet your brother."

* * *

Jason wrapped his arms around Piper's waist as she stood at the kitchen counter. He buried his chin into her shoulder and looked down at what she was making. Sandwiches; he smiled.

Piper looked up at him, smiling. "Hungry?"

"Definitely," he said, his voice muffled into the strap of her tank top.

She chuckled a little and leaned back into his chest.

"Listen," Jason said, "I don't want you to get your hopes up on this. I mean, it takes a while for a woman to have a baby."

"_Sparky_," Piper dragged on his name. "I know. It's going to be fine."

"Okay, but I'm just telling you beforehand."

"Thanks, but," Piper turned around and lightly kissed him. "I know." Her eyes shined with green.

Jason gently wrapped his hands around her jaw and kissed her again. Telling her, through that, that no matter what happens, he'll make sure everything turned out all right.

They parted and their noses touched. He smiled down at her, the wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

He kissed her again, more passionate this time. A rush of adrenaline ran through him and suddenly, they couldn't move because the small of Piper's back was already against the counter behind her.

Jason leaned into her and she wrapped her arms around him, keeping their kisses in lock. He picked her up, and her legs wrapped around his body and she sat on the counter. He plucked kisses on her cheeks, and Piper gave a small laugh. Jason grinned and his hands held onto her waist, his thumbs wedged into her hipbones. Then they moved to her knees, where he was about to pick her up again—

Then the doorbell rang.

It startled them both and Piper jerked back, her head bumping into the cabinets behind her. She hissed a curse and rubbed the welt on the back of her head.

A small laugh bubbled from Jason's throat. But then he bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Pipes, that wasn't funny,"

She looked at him, and then snorted. "It kind of was," she said and smiled at him.

Jason was captured into that smile and was tempted to wrap his arms around her again, but she slipped down from the counter and began to walk toward the door. "I wonder who that is, I mean—whoa!"

Jason let his temptation get the best of him. He grabbed her hand and twirled her back around toward him, where she was caught in his arm. He held her tight to him and pressed his lips to hers.

"Jason," she said as she parted from it. "As much as I love this, there are guests waiting at the door,"

"They can wait." He murmured and then kissed her again.

She laughed. "Sparky!"

The doorbell rang again.

He gave her one last kiss and then let her go. Piper squeezed his hand and walked to the door. Jason turned the other way and finished making the sandwiches.

He heard the door open behind his back.

"Annabeth!" Piper greeted. "What are you doing here? We gave you the day off."

"I know. I'm not here about my job. My friend and I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, well come on in!" The door swung wider—he knew because it creaked—and Jason heard footsteps. "Hi, I like your hair," Piper said.

Jason put the other piece of bread on the sandwich and took a bite as he turned around, staring at the new visitors. He leaned against the counter and all he could see was Annabeth and Piper's back, which was hiding the friend Annabeth was talking about.

He chewed and took another bite.

"Thanks," the girl said. She sounded familiar to Jason.

"And you have such pretty eyes. They kind of look like Jason's," Piper turned and Jason could finally see who the girl was.

He stopped chewing.

"_Finally_, _someone_ sees it." Her glare slid up to Annabeth.

"Thalia?" Jason asked through his sandwich.

She looked at him, her face solemn but she looked as if one touch would break her. "Finish chewing before you talk, bro,"

Piper's eyebrows furrowed toward Thalia and then she looked at Jason, her eyes asking: _Do you know her?_

He swallowed and then just stared at her.

Thalia gave a soft smile and Jason set down his sandwich on the paper towel on the counter. He began to walk towards her and he grasped her shoulders, staring down at her, taking in what she now looked like.

"Where have you _been?_" He asked. "I thought you _died_."

"I thought you did, too," her voice cracked a little. Then she lurched forward and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Jason. I shouldn't have stopped the letters."

Jason hugged her back. "Why did you?"

She sighed. "It's complicated."

He pulled back. "We've got all day."

"Um…" Piper stood awkwardly next to a smiling Annabeth. "Sorry to interrupt, but who are you?" she looked at Thalia.

"Pipes," Jason put his arm around Thalia's shoulders and ruffled her black hair, making it spikier. "Meet my sister, Thalia,"

She pushed away his hand and then stood on her tiptoes and messed up his hair.

He laughed, his scar on his lip curving, and she stopped once her job was completed. "And Thals—"

She turned toward Piper and offered out a hand. "This is your wife, Piper. I know. Annabeth told me."

Piper seemed a little pale and confused. Her glances cut from between Jason to Thalia and then she looked over at Annabeth. Annabeth just shrugged, still smiling.

Piper turned back to Thalia and then a grin split across her face. She squealed and laughed and disregarded Thalia's offered handshake and moved in for a full hug. She squeezed her arms around Thalia. "I'm so excited! Now I have a sister-in-law!"

"And," Annabeth added on, "Thalia just got fired from her last maid job. So, keep that in mind."

"_Annabeth!_" Thalia hissed at her.

Piper gasped and pulled back. "That would be amazing! Then I'll have two friends around here! Oh, my gosh! That'd be so much _fun!_"

Thalia was shocked. "Um, yeah." A blush creeped across her freckles.

"What's wrong with me?" Piper's hand flew to her forehead. "Are you hungry? Do you want a sandwich?" She hurried to the kitchen.

Thalia turned to Jason. "She's a keeper,"

"Okay, well while you guys enjoy catching up, I'm going to go help my other friend, Luke," Annabeth began to back away from them and toward the front door.

She watched slowly as Jason helped Piper with the sandwiches and they chatted and began to share stories about how their paths crossed. They didn't seem to bother or protest that Annabeth was leaving.

But that was okay. She had to help Luke next.

* * *

"Annabeth, why are we at a _Café?_" Luke asked as Annabeth had gripped his hand and pulled him into the small shop she knew too well.

"Don't worry. This is going to help. I promise you,"

"What do you mean? Are you saying that your great idea was for me to work here?"

"There's someone else who works here and knows _almost_ what you're going through."

"Almost isn't enough, Annabeth,"

"Annabeth!" A voice cried out as they reached the counter. Luke saw a black-haired man on the other side. His sea green eyes were bright.

The man also recognized Luke. "Oh." His voice faltered a little as he wiped off a coffee mug. "Who's this?"

"He's just a friend, Percy," Annabeth leaned forward with a smile. Percy returned the smile and leaned forward, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Luke felt awkward, but they soon parted. "So this is the famous Percy you've been talking about."

Annabeth blushed. "Yeah,"

"Oh, so you've been talking about me?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get used to it Seaweed Brain," she said, but couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

_Seaweed Brain?_ Luke thought to himself.

"Hey, so you want the usual?" Percy asked Annabeth, and she nodded.

He turned and began to take out a coffee filter. "And, uh, what does your friend want?"

"His name's Luke," Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and forced him up to the counter. "And he wants _two_ things."

Percy furrowed his brows at her. "What are they?"

Annabeth elbowed him.

"Um," he shrugged and shook his head slightly. "Coffee, I guess,"

Percy blinked. "Okay." Then he added on, "_Luke_,"

Luke pursed his lips.

"_And?_" Annabeth elbowed

"Um…" he glanced down. "Well, those bagels look pretty good, too—,"

"No, not that!" Annabeth slapped him upside the head.

Luke exclaimed and rubbed the spot. "I swear, there's a bump growing back there."

"See," Annabeth leaned over and began to talk to Percy like Luke hadn't said anything. "Luke is in trouble. He owes people money, but doesn't have a job."

"Annabeth, that's—" Luke began to say.

"And, well, he needs money and he was wondering if you had any job openings." Annabeth finished.

Percy stared at them, but his hands kept moving over the making of Annabeth's Seaweed coffee. "Well, all I do is make coffee."

Annabeth gave him a look.

"But," he sighed, "I guess I could use some help around here."

Annabeth gave a confident smile and then looked up at Luke. "I told you this was a brilliant idea."

"No one ever said it was _brilliant_, Annie." Then Luke looked up at Percy. "So…can I still get that coffee and bagel?"

"Yeah," Percy threw him an apron. "On your break, you can make it yourself."

* * *

**Haha...this was fun to write. Some parts, I was a little iffy on, but oh well. :) Please tell me what you thought!**

**Oh and who else saw The Sea of Monsters? I LOVED IT. I think it was SO MUCH better than Lightning Thief. And it was seriously to the book. The Kronos rising part, yeah, that was a little unexpected, but I kinda realized why they had to do it. They needed to give a connection to Lightning Thief and make sure it was like the book and then they needed something to continue the series. So I'm really excited that now our fandom is back on track! But I was surprised when people said they didn't like it. :/ tell me what you thought about it! I wanna hear all about it; I'm planning on posting a rant that's been traveling around my brain for a while onto my journal on DeviantART.**

**Anyways, guess what else is out? ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL THOR TRAILER! EEEEPPPPPPP! I'M SO EXCITED! I am a Loki/Jane shipper so I was happy that I saw there was going to be interaction:3 Not as happy as my sister, who's in love with their ship, but, you know. :)**

**I hope you liked! Please tell me your thoughts so I know you're liking the story!:) Reviews make my day!**


	7. He Said He Was Sorry

**I am so sorry for not updating in a while. I just started my freshman year of high school and it's been pretty hectic lately. Which reminds me, I gotta sleep to wake up, so I just want to say that I feel really bad about this chapter, but I hope you like it...in a way...you'll see. **

**I do not own PJO.**

**Please read:)**

* * *

Thalia had been vacuuming, so it had been hard for Annabeth to hear the phone ring.

"Thalia!" She shouted over the large suctioning noise. "Thalia, stop! I have to answer the phone!"

But Thalia didn't stop. She kept moving the vacuum back and forth, sweeping it with large motions with her arm. She hadn't heard Annabeth.

Annabeth reached over and punched her in the arm and Thalia yelped and hurried to turn it off. Then she swung around and returned the punch. "What was that for?!"

The phone rang again and Annabeth gave her a look and then put the phone to her ear, pressing the talk button. But she still found it strange that someone was calling this late at night. She and Thalia would've been home by now, but they were just finishing up the last house cleaning parts.

"Hello?" She asked into it.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried, and she could immediately tell that something was wrong, by the strain in his voice and the sobs that racked through his words. "Annabeth, I'm so sorry! I—I didn't know that this would happen! I tried, I really did."

"Percy, what's wrong?" Annabeth was concerned. What was he talking about? Her feet moved without her thinking and she slowly sat down.

"He—he saved us." He was breathing heavily and he sniffed, and she could see the tears that would be trailing down his cheeks. "But, he—put Thalia on the phone."

"Percy—"

"Now! Hurry! Nico and I have to go soon!"

Annabeth was shaking and she slowly took the phone away from her ear. Her breath was quick and she carefully held out the phone to Thalia.

She was wide-eyed and confused, but took the phone. "Percy?"

"He said he was sorry." Percy said. "He did it for us—and for you. He wanted me to tell you that he's better. He cleared up his problems, that bastard!" Percy seethed and laughed a little, like it was some sort of sick joke; or he couldn't believe it. "I'm…I'm sorry. He said…he said to tell you that he loves you. And… goodbye," and then he broke down into more sobs.

The color suddenly drained from Thalia's skin and she almost dropped the phone, but then her hand shook and she instinctively clenched her fingers so no one could tell that she was scared or worried.

"Who—" her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "Who did?" her eyes filled with tears and one single salty trail made its way down her pale cheek.

"Luke,"

* * *

_The night before…_

It was Percy's third week working with Luke, and he had to say, Luke was a pretty weird guy—or, his friends were weird. Sure, he was nice and all and he and Percy are friends, but he's got some problems. Percy knows that it's connected to the reason why he owes people money. Example:

A couple days ago, while Luke was handing a customer their drink, the door opened and this very pale kid with dark hair walked in, slouched, and his hands in his saggy black jeans pockets. His hair was ruffled and hung over his dark eyebrows, and was so black that it made him look paler. He had purple bags under his eyes and his dark brown eyes looked hazy, and this boy looked sick and exhausted. He had looked around.

Percy eyed him as he placed some mugs in a cabinet and his eyebrow furrowed. He straightened and opened his mouth like he was going to call out to the kid, but then Luke had put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry; I got this."

Percy hadn't said anything and let Luke hurry around the counter and walk up to the pale kid. He had begun to whisper with him in a hushed tone, as if they didn't want anyone to hear them, but the Café was completely quiet, so if Percy strained a little, he could hear them.

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked.

"I need to talk to you," the other said.

"How did you know I was here?" Luke looked around like someone was right behind them and he took a hold of the guy's shoulders.

The guy didn't really seem to notice, except try to brush off his hands but a slight move of his shoulder, but that couldn't let go of Luke's strong hands.

Percy watched as the guy said, "I asked Thalia, what's your problem, man?"

"Listen, I can't talk. Not right now. You have to go," Luke shook him a little. "Are you listening to me?"

The guy blinked slowly and his face twisted into a knot. "I can't just go!" he shouted, and it caused some glances to go their way.

Luke shushed him.

"No!" The pale man snapped and his eyes widened, like he was suddenly awake, and he pointed a finger at Luke's face, making him back up. "No," he said in a lower voice. "You got me into this mess. I will not be quiet"—he walked away from Luke and toward the counter where Percy was—"And I will not be _shussshhhed_," He said and carried on the 'shh' part like he was shushing Luke.

Luke hurriedly walked towards him, a look of worry on his face, and he reached out to touch the man who was now staring at Percy.

But the man turned away from Luke before he could touch him.

He leaned on the counter, staring at Percy who just looked back at him with a weird and confused expression.

"…Can I…get you something?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, do you have any N—?"

Luke clamped a hand on the man's mouth and said, "No, Percy, he won't have anything. He was just leaving."

Percy noted how this stranger's voice had slurred. Even though he protested, Luke pushed him back out the door.

Today, Percy walked with the Café keys swinging in his finger, jangling with every move. He was still hesitant about working with Luke, just something rolled in his stomach about it. He wondered about why he owed people money, but he didn't want to ask, thinking that maybe it would be disrespectful and maybe stir up some grudges between the two.

He walked up to the door just as he saw Luke coming from the opposite direction. Percy greeted him with a smile and the corners of Luke's mouth went upwards and he tilted his head back in recognition.

They reached the door at the same time.

"Hey, Perce," Luke said in a heavy voice.

Percy looked up at him and finally saw the rings under his eyes and how his hair was tousled like he'd just got out of bed.

"Hey…" Percy looked at him as he turned the key in the slot. "You okay?"

Luke's eyes flashed up to her and a shadow passed over his face. He kept his head down, though. "Yeah," he said, "yeah, I am."

"Are you sure?"

Luke gave him a look.

Percy shrugged and opened the door. "Okay, then," he said and opened it for Luke to walk in. "Whatever you say."

He walked in without a word, and even though he didn't look at Percy, he could feel his sea green eyes trail after him as he walked in. But he didn't look back at him—he just kept staring ahead, but then blinked slowly, hoping that when he opened his eyes again, everything that was complicating his life would go away.

And they did.

For that split second, everything went away.

* * *

"So," Percy said as he wiped off the tables. They hadn't opened yet, and were just getting ready to start everything up. "How'd you get your scar?"

"That's none of your business," Luke immediately said as he cleaned out some of the coffee machines.

Percy sighed and threw down the wash cloth on the table and crossed his arms, giving Luke a work. "What _happened_ to you, Luke?"

He stopped and looked over at Percy, a wild look on his face. He was baffled, and he didn't know why. Luke was about to deny this, but then he stopped himself. Denial wasn't worth it—because then he knew that Percy was right. There was something wrong with him. He was so buried deep in this, that he couldn't see a way out.

But, he said, "What do you mean?"

"You used to be so happy, when you first got here. Now you…it's like you've turned into the bad guy. What, did you get possessed by Kronos or something?"

"_What?_" Now Luke seriously was baffled.

Percy stammered a little and scratched the back of his neck even when there was no itch. "Sorry, I guess I've been spending too much time with Annabeth."

Luke smiled a little. "Oh. That explains it." He nodded his head once and then turned toward Percy, the counter separating them, and he refilled the pastries from a plastic box sitting in front of him. Though, after a while, he sighed and stopped. "A lot of things, Percy. A lot of things happened to me. Things that no being should ever go through."

Percy was solemn. But then his face screwed into a confused not. "Just to be clear, you're _not_ possessed by Kronos, right? Because you're starting to sound like you're about to say that."

"_No_, Percy," Luke gave him a look. "I am not possessed by any titan."

Percy looked down at the ground and cleared his throat. "Good." He said.

"No, but…" Luke tapped his fingers against the counter and shook his head. He felt the lump in his throat and wanted to bend over and retch, because his stomach rolled at the thought of this mess he's in. He wanted to cover his face with his hands and weep, but he knew none of that was going to solve his problems.

Percy gave him a cautious look. "If you need to tell someone, now's the time. I'll listen, Luke. Just tell me. I can help—"

"No!" Luke said, his voice rising and he clenched his fingers into his palm, creating crescent moons in his skin from how his fingernails had been pressed so hard. "Nobody understands! They all think they can help, but they can't! Why can't anyone see that this is dangerous and if someone does help, someone will get hurt?!"

Percy paused and stared at him. "Then just tell me."

Luke was breathing heavily and he looked up at him from under his elegant, blonde eyebrows. One of them was marred, though, by the scar that ran across it. He clenched his jaw, and released the tension of his shoulders by dropping them.

"Start with telling me how you got that scar." Percy said, not breaking the eye contact.

Luke hesitated before he started. "I, uh," his voice was hoarse and he cleared his throat. "I had to owe someone money for accidentally crashing their car that I was borrowing. I didn't have that much money, and he turned out to be one of the biggest badasses in the city."

"Who is he?"

"He calls himself Apollo."

"Apollo?"

"Yeah, because it was this bright red Maserati. He says it's as bright as the sun, so it's only correct if he's 'Apollo'." Luke shook his head and rolled his eyes, knowing it was a stupid idea.

"Huh. Interesting." Percy stared off. "Never thought of it like that,"

"_Anyways_," Luke continued. "I didn't have any money, so I tried looking for a job around there. Turns out Apollo had spread the word that if anyone tried to help me, they would pay—in a bad way."

"I figured that,"

"So no one would even let me into their store." Luke's heart pounded as he talked. He hadn't told anyone yet, and he knew that even being here was dangerous even though Percy didn't know who Apollo or anyone else who hated him was. "I went so low that I tried to pickpocket from people. I used to do it all the time in college," he shrugged, "and I was good at it, so why not?"

Percy knew that this was going to end badly. "How rich was the dude that caught you trying to steal from him?"

Luke frowned. "His wallet weighed a lot more than I expected. He could feel the difference when I took it out."

Percy nodded, his lips pulled together tightly in a bite of disappointment.

"And I hadn't felt the…the pocket knife in there, either." Luke said in a heavy voice.

Percy clenched his teeth. Luke hadn't deserved all of this just for an accident that he didn't mean to make.

He cleared his throat. "I'm pretty sure you know what happened next—"

"Yeah, you don't have to talk about that." Percy cut him off, not wanting him to have to relive the suffering.

"No." Luke said softly. "I want to. I haven't told anyone. But I want to now."

Percy just nodded his head, swallowing air into his dry mouth.

"He told me that he wasn't going to get everything taken away from him just because some lowlife can't afford their own things. He said it was worthless to think someone like me could pass by because I stole from someone—as worthless as I was. He told me—"

"Luke, don't listen to him." Percy cut him off, not wanting to hear the words anymore. "Because it's not true,"

"But it is," Luke said, barely above a whisper and he looked up at Percy. "He was right." He chuckled dryly, but didn't look amused. "How could I have been so stupid to think that I could steal from someone, and then think that that was going to fix everything? It wasn't. It wouldn't have made me feel any better because I _still_ did something wrong."

Percy said nothing.

"And then he told me that there was a difference between the both of us—that he had deserved the money and fame that he got because he _tried_."

"Luke—"

"And he's _still_ right." He began to shake his head as the memory flashed in his head. It was dark and the man had found an alley nearby. Luke could feel the hardness of the wall behind him press against his back and a sharp coldness shoot through his scar.

He tilted his head, groaning a little to try to ease the pain. He was beginning to get a headache, but he didn't let that show. He hated how he could remember everything from that night. It gave him nightmares.

He remembered the dark face in front of him, the man with the jet black, slicked back hair. The shadow cut his face in half and a glint of moonlight flashed off the knife. He could feel the searing pain travel down the right side of his face.

The man had spat the words at him, but in a way, his voice was calm, as if he had pity for Luke. This made him want to punch this man, but the other half of him listened. Listened, because it was true.

_When he had left Luke, wiping his blood off the blade and then walking away without another word, Luke dropped to his knees, sending a shattering pain through his kneecaps. But he didn't care. His body was numb and there was a ringing in his ears as something wet slid down his face. He began to cry as his hand, shaking, reached up to his face and felt the liquid. It came away with red dampening the pads of his fingers._

"Luke," Percy's voice cut through the memory, and Luke was glad for it. Sometimes, he just can't stop thinking about it.

He didn't look Percy in the eye. His blue eyes stayed attached to the countertop.

"I've put people in so much trouble, Percy. Just because of _my_ mistakes. Pretty soon, it'll affect Annabeth and Thalia, Hazel and Rachel."

"I won't let that happen." Percy said in a firm voice.

"But it's not in your power!" Luke shouted, his voice going an octave higher. "It's mine—it's based off of my decisions!"

"Then you find a way to fix it." Percy said through gritted teeth and stepped forward, leaning toward Luke, a fierce fire in his green eyes.

"What do you think I've been doing? Why do you think Annabeth brought me here?"

"Does this have anything to do with that pale guy from a couple days ago?" Percy asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

"You mean Nico?" Luke asked.

Percy shrugged. "I guess," he said, "I don't know who he is. That pale guy that came in, looking for you. He looked sick."

Luke nodded. "That's Nico. Boy," he shook his head, "If there's anyone I hurt most, it's him. I didn't mean to."

"What happened with Nico?"

"He sells…things. Poor kid, he's got the worst dad ever—like Thalia's. And his mom can't do anything to help. All Nico's got is his sister. He thinks the only way he can get enough money for the both of them is by selling junk."

"Are most of those junk drugs?" Percy asked.

"Some of it." Luke shook his head. "God, it's so messed-up." He paused and took a deep breath for a moment and then continued, "So he came to me, telling me about how he's heard of me being in trouble with Apollo. Said he found a way to help me. If I helped him sell some of those _things_ for him, then I would get enough money to clear myself up with Apollo."

"What went wrong?" Percy asked and his brows knitted together in concentration, seeing where all of this was going.

"So I helped him and tried to sell to a guy who was interested. He asked me how much, I gave him the price, and he got mad. Saying that all this junk couldn't be this much. Got in a fight. Turns out he's another badass."

"Why don't we just tape a neon sign to your forehead saying that every badass anywhere is welcome to fight with you?" Percy asked nonchalantly with a solemn face.

"Very funny," Luke glared at him. "But no. I never got his name, but he said I would regret the day I ever came across with him."

"And how does this come into play with Nico?"

"He asked me who I got all the junk from. I didn't want to tell, and I told him that I didn't get it from anyone—that it was mine. He didn't believe me. He would've killed me if I didn't tell him. I told him and he said that both of us would regret it. The guy took Nico's sister. We don't know where she is, but we've been trying to find her by selling to different people, getting some information as we go."

Percy just stared. He began to feel as if now he had a part in this. That he had to help both of them. Luke was his friend, and someone needed to do something.

Luke waited for an answer. But everything was quiet.

The clock on the wall made a louder ticking noise, signaling that it was open time. But none of them moved or talked. They just stared, thoughts flying through them, wondering what to do next.

But Percy had already decided. He just didn't know if it was going to work or not.

Suddenly, he uncrossed his arms, moving to take off his apron and said, "Yep, alright. Let's go."

"What?" Luke was taken aback. "Go where?"

"To Nico. This is gone on too long and you guys are going to fix it and end it now."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Luke asked with his voice full of doubt.

"Because I'm going to help you."

* * *

"Say what?" Nico asked as he lay on his couch in his apartment. His words were lazy as he had just woken up.

"Percy's going to help us. We're going to get your sister and finish all of this…somehow."

"Seriously?" Nico asked. "Now? Guys, I have a class today."

"A class?" Percy asked.

Nico gave a sleepy groan as he sat up on his couch, the blanket falling from his over-sized black t-shirt. "College. Duh," he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gave a yawn.

"What? Nico's only in college? Are you kidding me?" Percy asked Luke. "He's just a kid,"

"You'd be surprised,"

"I am _not_ a kid!" Nico protested. "I am not a kid. I've done more things that you could _never_ imagine. And I don't need _you_ to tell me that I _can't do it_." He pressed his finger against Percy's chest at the emphasized words.

Luke looked over at Percy with a raised eyebrow.

Percy blinked and nodded his head with his lips pressed together. He looked at Luke. "Point proven. So I guess he really is good enough to set up a meeting with Apollo."

Nico blinked and brought his hand back, suddenly looking sober. "Wait—what?"

"You heard me." Percy smirked.

"With Apollo? Are you kidding me? I thought you said that you were trying to help us?"

"I am. But we start with meeting him. He'll know where your sister is." Percy said.

Nico stared at him for a moment, one bottom eyelid twitching as if it were deciding to close, but it didn't. "You're crazy."

"Must be all that seaweed coffee," Luke said.

Percy grinned.

* * *

"So how was class, kiddo?" Percy asked in the driver's seat as Nico climbed into the back.

He smacked the back of Percy's head. "Don't call me kiddo."

Percy rubbed the spot on his head. "Hey! I'm helping you save your sister, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Just drive," Nico grumbled as he set down his leather brown messenger bag in the seat next to him.

Percy began to drive, but he asked, "So where are we going? Where did you tell Apollo to meet?"

"I didn't tell ask him anything."

"What?!" Percy stopped the car and twisted in his seat, maneuvering from under the seat belt, and looked back at Nico. "I thought you were—"

"You've never done this before, have you?" Nico furrowed his brow towards Percy. Nico turned to Luke, who was sitting in the passenger's seat, and asked, "He hasn't done this before, has he?"

Luke looked over at Percy, his eyes skirting up and down. "Obviously,"

Percy yelped and put a hand to his own chest. "Excuse me! But I'm trying to help you guys!"

"Not if you're looking like _that_," Nico said.

"What's wrong with the way I look?" Percy looked a little hurt. He was wearing a blue and white striped collar shirt, with jeans.

"You gotta look more…worn down,"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "And how, exactly, do I look like that?"

Nico sighed impatiently. "I'm not usually a bro-shopping person, but this is a situation in need."

"Bro-shopping?" Percy asked Luke.

He nodded. "Bro-shopping."

* * *

"My mother would _not_ approve of this." Percy said as the woman at the cosmetics place stepped back from him, proudly holding a brush caked with pale powder still on it.

Percy sat in the chair, with his hair tousled under a big cap that was on backwards. He wore saggy jeans and an over-sized navy blue t-shirt, making his arms look skinnier, with more muscle veins.

They were at the cosmetics to make Percy look paler, so he almost looked like Nico's identical twin if it weren't for the sea green eyes. The older women walking by shot them looks of confusion and disgust, but the younger ones, kept staring, and Percy could swear he saw the cosmetics woman blushing. But none of that cared to him, because none of them were Annabeth.

"It doesn't matter if your mom approves," Luke said as he payed the woman. "It only matters if Apollo believes that you sell."

"What if I don't wanna look like that?" Percy pouted as he got up from the chair and heard giggles behind him. He looked back and found girls giggling and staring at his behind. He blushed and pulled up his jeans. "I think these are too big. They keep falling."

"What are you talking about?" Nico was baffled. "That's the size I wear."

Percy frowned.

"Right, so you guys ready?" Luke took a deep breath. "We gotta meet him in half an hour."

"Yeah, sure," Percy grumbled as he gathered his jeans by the loops.

"First we need to test Percy and see if he can pull off as a seller." Nico said as he crossed his arms.

"What! Come on, I don't want—"

"If I were Apollo, I'd shoot you right now." Nico said.

"All right, dawg, chill."

"Eh, it's good enough." Nico turned and walked away.

"Don't get all sassy with me, Miss Attitude." Percy snapped his fingers and rolled his neck.

Nico glared at him, but Luke was trying his best to suppress his laughter.

* * *

"This is the place?" Percy asked. It was nighttime and the moon was the only light, making the streets shine. The light glinted off of the wooden house on the side of the street. It look abandoned, but Percy guessed that meant that it was the perfect place to make a sell.

"Yep," Luke sighed. His heart was pounding. "Let's go." He pulled out a black object and it clicked.

"Whoa!" Percy jumped back. "You're carrying a _gun?_" He whispered fiercely as if he were afraid they'd get in trouble if anyone heard him.

"Duh," Nico said and brought out his own weapon. "You always bring one to these things."

"I don't have one."

"Then you're out of luck." Nico smirked.

"Nico, give Percy your gun," Luke said.

"What! No! It's my—"

"Just do it. I don't want you getting hurt. At least Percy knows who he's aiming at." Luke said.

"If I don't have mine, then I'll definitely be dead." Nico seethed.

Luke looked at him, his eyes glowing. It was almost like he was making a promise, or a sacrifice, like he knew what was going to happen. Like he could feel something bad happening. "Just do it. Please,"

Nico just stared at him, blinking, and then handed it over to Percy, who took it gently in both hands. "What do I do with it?" He asked.

Nico pursed his lips and glared a little. He turned to Luke. "You're leaving my life in the hands of _this?_" he jabbed a thumb towards Percy.

Luke rolled his eyes and told Percy, "Just point it at where you want to shoot, hold it with both hands, Percy, pull back on this to put the bullet in position, and then hit the trigger. Only shoot if you really need to."

Percy nodded. "Let's do this."

"Well don't sound so enthusiastic just yet." Nico grumbled and trudged towards the house.

* * *

The steps creaked beneath them with each step they took. They checked every room to watch for Apollo, Nico leading the front because he strolled through, incautiously and fearlessly.

"Nico, what the heck are you doing?" Luke whispered fiercely to him.

He turned with raised eyebrows. "Oh, well, my life is being protected by that guy so I thought that meant I could do whatever I wanted because I _know_ he'll _always_ be there to save me." Nico nodded sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up, okay? I'm trying to help you—"

"Both of you shut up!" Luke whispered. "Do you hear that?" He crept forward and Percy could soon hear faint voices behind one of the doors.

"Guys," he whispered and pointed to the door he was at.

"—I'm meeting with her brother tonight. They should be here any moment now."

"Good. This is gonna be a good show. Can't wait to get my stuff."

"I can't wait to get my drugs."

But the rest was muffled. Percy swore under his breath and reached for the doorknob.

"What do you think you're doing?" Luke whispered.

"We have to hear what they're saying."

"That other guy is the guy who took Nico's sister."

"I figured."

"Do you think she's in there?" Nico asked with hope.

"We'll have to see." Percy gripped the knob, his hand shaking and barely opened it—just a crack.

It was like somebody unplugged his ears. He could hear the two men talking in there, speaking their plans about how they couldn't leave any evidence behind.

"Why don't we just kill her now?"

"My brother will be here soon! And you will both die!" A girl's voice said.

"Oh, great. She's awake."

"Bianca's in there." Nico whispered.

Percy nodded.

"If they don't get here any time soon, I'm going to blow the deal off."

"It's my deal. Besides, if they don't get my money, I'll just go after his 'little sister'. What's her name again?"

"Annabelle?"

"Nah, I think it was Annabeth."

"I thought we were going to do that Goth girl first."

White hot fury shot through Percy and he stumbled barging inside with his gun out and he pushed Luke and Nico out of view.

The two men inside were shocked and pulled out their own guns and pointed it at him. He saw another girl, pale with dark hair, and Percy automatically knew that that was Bianca.

"Who are you? How'd you find this place?" One asked. They were both wearing hoods, but he suspected that the one who talked was the one with brown hair.

"I'm with Nico and Luke. They couldn't come because of another deal. It's just me." He answered.

"You didn't answer the first question: who are you?"

"I think the real question is who are _you?_"

The two looked at each other and then one threw his hood off. He had brown hair and brown eyes, tan skin. But Percy had never seen him before, so he had no idea who he was.

"I'm Apollo."

"Really?" Percy tilted his head to the side, his voice going an octave higher, and he lowered his gun a little. "You don't look like Apollo?"

"Say it again."

Percy thought about this. It sounded more like a threat. "O-oh, I just meant that you don't look like the actual god, not the dealer himself. I mean, I'm pretty sure you are the real Apollo but—"

"If you don't tell me who the hell you are, I'm going to—"

"I'm Percy, dawg—Apollo. Just chill,"

"So you have my stuff?" the other one, who was masked, asked.

"And my money. Luke sent it with you, right?" Apollo asked.

_Oh, great_, Percy thought. What was he going to do? He didn't have any of this stuff, or no plan. This wasn't going as well as he had hoped. What was he supposed to say?

"I do—he did. But first, you let her go, man. She doesn't have anything to do with this." Percy nodded towards Bianca, who was scared and confused at the same time.

"First, _Percy_, you let me see the money and stuff first." Apollo said.

"If I do, you have to promise that this feud between you and Luke is over. No more fighting—just leave him alone."

Apollo narrowed his eyes at him. "You sure you're from Luke and Nico? Cuz you don't sound like a seller."

_Crap, I should've taken that more seriously._

Before he could answer, the door flew open and Luke was there, his gun out and loud noises drummed through the air, and he had shot holes in the wall. Apollo and the other guy ducked, and Percy saw a flash of Nico as he ran to his sister.

"Percy, run!" Luke shouted.

Percy ran out of the room, Nico and Bianca following behind them.

A curse split through the air and a couple of gun shots.

Bianca cried out and doubled over, clutching her arm, where red liquid poured from it. Nico shouted, but Luke took his shoulder and shoved him ahead. Percy ran back for her.

"Hey! You okay?!"

"No!" She answered back, tears streaking her cheeks.

"It's going to be oka—" there was another gunshot and suddenly, Bianca fell to the ground. "No!" He shouted and held onto her crumpled body.

"Nico," she said. "Help him," and then she felt weak.

Percy stared. He hadn't seen a person die before. It was a sad sight, the light just leaving. He gripped her body and laid it against the wall, closing her eyelids. She could hear the two men close by, but he had to go. He ran and ran and saw Nico being held down by Luke in another room.

"Bianca—she needs me! She's hurt!"

"She's going to be okay, Nico," Luke said and he looked back at Percy, who didn't need the makeup to make him look pale.

"I'm going to help you, Nico." Percy said in a soft voice. "I made a promise."

Nico began to shake his head. "You let her die! You were supposed to protect us! But you let her die!"

Luke tried to shush him, knowing that it'd just attract attention, but Nico wouldn't stop as he began to sob.

"Nico, I couldn't do anything! I'm sorry! I—"

"It doesn't matter anymore!" He wailed and turned away from them. Percy stepped toward him, trying to put a hand on his shoulder but Nico shrugged away.

"Percy, listen," Luke turned to him. "I called the cops, and we can still solve this."

"No, we can't! Bianca's gone!" Nico yelled.

"Nico—"

"Stop! Just stop!"

Percy frowned and he looked down at the floorboards. He wondered how much damage had been made on these floors before this.

"We can still—"

The door burst open and the two figures stood there. Apollo had a sly smirk on his face, and he pointed the gun at Luke. "Ah. You got my money, Castellan?"

Luke turned and straightened, the moonlight falling over half of his face, making him look even more dangerous. He was facing his problems right now—this may be his last chance.

"No. And I never will. You can deal with it. Right, cuz you're Apollo."

Apollo's eye twitched and suddenly there was another gunshot. Luke fell to the ground and there was a ringing in Percy's ears. He didn't like this—this was his entire fault. He put everyone here in this place. He knew how Luke felt.

"Apollo's a nickname."

"No." Percy said, staring at Luke who clutched his abdomen. "No! Get out of here!" He yelled at the two figures.

"We want our money!"

"Yeah well it's gonna be hard getting it behind bars." Percy said.

"What?" Apollo was taken aback.

Suddenly, outside the house, there was a wail of police sirens. The two looked scared and started to back out.

"Yeah." Percy said. "Go! And this is all done with."

"Looks like we still won," Apollo grinned and then he ran.

Percy didn't care where they went because he raced to Luke, who lie on his back.

"We did it, Perce. A clean slate for me, right?"

"No. You can't—you're gonna be okay." Percy said.

"No," Luke said. He coughed and red started to splatter onto his once-white teeth. "Tell Thalia that I'm better now—all of the problems are cleared."

"Hey, no. You can tell her yourself." Percy said, resting up Luke's head and his eyelids were drooping. "No—st-stay awake. Please,"

"Tell her I did it for her. I did it for all of us. Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I love her. Tell her…goodbye."

"Luke!" He shouted.

But Luke could feel the pain easing, in his abdomen and in his mind. He tried to swallow, but only got the taste of blood. It didn't taste good—it didn't feel right. He coughed, choking, and suddenly, he smiled. He thought of Thalia, how they've been together all this time. He had done the right thing, he knows. He wanted to close his eyes, and have everything go away.

And they did.

But it wasn't for a split second this time.

* * *

Percy called Annabeth, first thing. He didn't know what else to do. His hands were shaking. With Nico's help, they had gotten both Luke and Bianca's body out of the house. It was difficult, but after the police had taken away "Apollo" and that other guy, the coast was clear.

"Percy?" Thalia asked on the other line.

Percy looked over at Luke's peaceful face. His scar seemed to disappear. "He said he was sorry."

* * *

**Please review! I'm sorry if this made you sad:/ I promise it'll be major Percabeth and Jasper and ThaLuke next chapter. :)**


	8. Try

**Hello, readers! So, funny thing, I listened to Try by P!nk while writing this. :) I do not own that song.**

**AND I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS OR THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS IT IS ALL OWNED BY RICK RIORDAN - NOT ME. **

**There, I said it. Like I always do, like everyone else on FanFiction does. **

**Quit the SOPA already. **

**(And please go sign the petition if you haven't done so already! We only need a thousand left! We're so close! We all love FF, and I hope to continue writing for you guys on here so please sign if you haven't!)**

**Until then, please enjoy this chapter:)**

* * *

Percy stared at the door, his hands in his pockets. He wore pants with a white shirt and a blue jacket over it. He was at Nico's door, ready to knock, ready to tell him how sorry he was, ready to make sure that everything was going to be okay with him. He had promised Bianca he would do all of this and he felt only needed to be responsible for everything Nico does.

He wondered if this was how Bianca felt as Nico's sister—always wanting to take care of him. Then Percy had to add on the thought of Nico being a seller and that made his heart weigh down even more. He can get in so much trouble, so much hurt in just one night by continuing that business.

That much had already been proven to Percy.

He couldn't help but think that the last time he looked at this door, Luke was by his side.

Percy swallowed through the lump in his throat. It threatened to bring tears in his eyes, but he clenched his jaw. He had to do this; he _had_ to do this.

He slipped his hand out of his pocket and it started to shake. He hardened his fingers into his palm and clenched into a fist, to stop the shaking and so that he could knock. His whole body was shaking like a fragile leaf blowing in a breeze. Yes, that's exactly how he felt—fragile.

Percy drew in a deep breath and it came out shaking. He licked his dry lips and then knocked on the door. The first knock was soft and pitiful, but then he tried again, nodding his head as if to reassure himself, and this time it was louder.

He could hear light footsteps shuffling from inside. Then they stopped and he waited for a couple more minutes.

"Nico—" His voice was small, but then he cleared his throat. "Nico, I know you're in there. Please, we need to talk."

There was a slight pause. "No, we don't."

"Yes—"

"Just forget about it, Percy!" Nico snapped inside. "Just forget about the whole thing. What's done is done, you can't change it."

"I didn't say I wanted to change it."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

He heard Nico sigh impatiently. Finally, the door opens and Nico looks worse than when Percy first met him. He's got purple hollow places underneath his cheekbones and eyes, and his dark brown eyes were swollen and red. Pink splotches danced across his pale cheeks, and Percy knew he had been crying. His dark hair was tousled and matted on one side.

They both shared a look, a silent conversation, both of them remembering.

Nico shook his head, his chin trembling, and he turned his head away from Percy, not looking him in the eye. "What do you want?" He asked again, his deep voice wavering like he was about to cry.

Percy's lips parted a little and his eyebrows knitted together. He could see the wetness glaze over the dark brown in Nico's eyes.

"She wanted me to help you. That's what I'm doing."

"I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do. You don't have a guardian anymore—"

"Shut up, Percy! Don't even _go_ there!"

"—and I promised Bianca I would help you!" Percy had to yell over Nico's voice so he could hear him.

"You are _not_ my dad! You aren't my mom or my _sister_, Percy!" Nico yelled, his voice going hoarse and the tears escaping his eyelids. "You're just some _guy!_ You're not even a friend, because you were there—" he choked on a sob. "You let her die—"

Percy felt bad, and he felt sick. Flashes of that night tore through him, the darkness, Luke's blood, the lost hope in Bianca's eyes.

He drew in a deep breath and then wrapped an arm around Nico's neck, pulling him in. "I'm sorry," He said. "I'm so _sorry_. I didn't—I couldn't _do_ anything, Nico."

Nico cried into Percy's shoulder. He remembered her, and her smile. He remembered how he got in a fight with his dad, and Bianca was there to calm him down; she was there to tell him that everything was okay.

But she wasn't here now.

"It's going to be okay, Nico." Percy said with his voice beginning to crack. "I'm going to make sure it is."

Nico stopped and he pulled back, wiping at the tears with his sleeve. He gave Percy a look. He began to shake his head. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"It's not about if you can keep them. It's about if you _try_ to." Percy said. "And that's what I'm going to do."

Nico shook his head again. "I'm an adult, Percy; I don't need your help." He stepped back and began to close the door.

But Percy stops it with his hand. "Nico, please," he looked up at him and tilted his head a little. He added on softly, "I just want to talk."

Nico stared at him, his brown eyes glancing around on him, as if he was making a decision. He frowned and gave a defeated sigh. "Fine," was all he said when he opened the door wider.

Nico led him inside, and they were back in the apartment that Percy had seen a couple days ago. It looked exactly the same, except a little messier and books lain next to the walls, opened, and the pages torn and flapping like they had been thrown at the wall. Percy's eyes flashed up to the wall and he even saw a small dent.

He already knew Nico wasn't taking any of this too lightly, but this concerned him even more.

Percy followed Nico and sat next to him on the couch.

"Nico, about that night, I know I said I was going to fix things, and—" He paused and stared down at his hands limply settling in his lap. He drew in another breath; he had just reminded himself that it really _was_ his fault. If he hadn't said that, if he hadn't promised Luke that he would help…

"Luke and Bianca wouldn't be dead." Percy finished his sentence with his voice hoarse.

He felt Nico's body flinch beside him. His eyes glanced over and found Nico's shaking hands curling into fists. Percy's eyes slid up to his face and Nico's jaw was clenched.

"You have every reason to hate me." Percy hurried on. "And I know you think that it's not my place to take care of you, and I know that I didn't know Bianca—at all. All I knew was that she was your sister and that you love her. And I did—I made a promise to her. That promise I made was a promise I am going to keep. That doesn't mean I'm taking her place, or your dad's place, or your mom's place. I'm just…" he sighed, and gestured with his hands, a waving motion, not sure what to say. All he wanted to do was apologize over and over, but he knew Nico wouldn't take that.

"It was my entire fault. I didn't mean for it to be, but I'm going to try and help to clean up the things that _I_ messed up." He pointed to himself, the lump growing in his throat again. "_Me_. Not you—it was me. I thought I could handle it, but I can't, Nico."

"I can't, either," Nico said in a small voice.

Percy gave him a sad look. "No one can. And it's all right to admit that. Nico," he shakes his head as if he still can't fathom about what to say. "I am so sorry."

"Stop apologizing, Percy. It's not going to help anyone."

"I-I know. That's why I'm trying to fix things."

Nico shook his head and stood up. His long and shaking fingers rose to his hair and he raked them through the messy blackness. "You don't understand, Percy. You _can't_ fix things! Everything is already broken enough!"

Percy kept sitting and he looked up at Nico. He shook his head. "We're the only ones left, Nico." He said in a soft voice. "What else _can_ we do?"

Nico stops and stares at him, his face is full of sad dread and he blinks, that brown darkness going away for a second. "Nothing," he answered. "We do nothing, except forget it ever happened."

"Nico, I couldn't live with myself if I just forgot about it. That would also be nearly impossible—"

"Then you better learn how to!" Nico cut him off with a shout.

Percy finally stood. "Why won't you let me help you, huh?! What is so _wrong_ with having someone care about you?! You're so _selfish_, Nico!"

Nico gave him a murderous look of shock. "What? You're calling _me_ selfish, when I don't have anything to begin with."

"That is exactly why! Because you won't let yourself have anything."

Nico shrugged, waving out his arms and then letting them down and slap against the sides of his pant legs. "Why are you so…_determined_ to help me? What if I don't _want_ or _need_ your help?!"

Percy steps back, his brows rising to his hairline and he softly lays a hand on his chest, as if he's offended. "Oh, you don't need my help? So, where are you gonna get your job?"

Nico looks at him as if this was a stupid question. "Selling—"

"No, because we just dealt with _Apollo_. You were a part of getting him into jail, which means when he gets out, he's going to be mad. No one will want to buy from you again, if that means getting murdered."

Suddenly, Nico looked as if he'd suddenly thought of this. Percy was right. There was no way he'd be able to sell even a sticker if word got around about him getting Apollo into jail.

"Yeah, well what are _you_ gonna do about it?"

"Luke used to work with me at the Café." Percy replied without shouting and at a normal tone.

"Oh, no," Nico gave a bitter laugh. "I am _not_ doing that."

"Well, what else are you—" The Percy cuts himself off and he looks offended. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? There's nothing wrong with working at a café."

Nico gave him a look. "I am not playing dress-up and feeding people tea and pastries."

"It's not dress-up." Percy mumbled.

Nico sighed. "Whatever, I don't care."

"It'll do you good, it's just a small job and no one will find you there." Percy said. "No one can hurt you. Not if I'm there."

The other boy clenched his teeth, his lips pressing into a firm line. "You mean like how it did Luke good?"

Percy looked up at him and saw a shadow pass over Nico's face. Percy shook his head. "No. Because by the looks of it, it seems that _Luke_ is doing better. He actually _tried_ it and didn't complain."

Nico was silent and hurt. He was about to snap back an angry retort, saying how he couldn't believe how rude Percy was being by comparing him to Luke—comparing him to a dead man. But he bit it back because suddenly he knew that he was right. Luke actually did try, and he wasn't. All he was doing was staying cooped up in his small, dirty apartment and being sorry for himself, chucking his biology books at the wall because he just didn't get it. And then he'd curse up a storm when he'd realize that he was late for class.

Life was leaving without him. He couldn't understand it; he felt as if there was no reason he should be alive anymore. He thought that he couldn't do anything right—but that's not true.

He thought back to the day when he was a kid and Bianca was teaching him how to ride a bike. He was small, and everyone in his class picked on him when he'd mentioned he didn't know how to ride a bike. After school, he didn't even do his homework; he just went right to the giant bike that used to belong to his mom…

_Nico climbed on, gripping the handlebars and the tips of his shoes barely touched the pedals. He had to stand, but it was hard because he didn't even know how to ride a bike _sitting_. He took in a deep breath, furrowed his eyebrows and wheeled the bike out of the garage. He stumbled down the driveway, the pedals circling around and around scratching his shins as they went past them. _

_Nico went down to the road. Once the wheels met the gravel, he sat on the_ _seat again. It was_ so _uncomfortable, though, and he whimpered and shifted, but there was no way it made anything better. He told himself to suck it up, because none of the other kids mentioned that it hurt to sit on it. _

_ He straightened and reached for the pedals again. _

_ The first time his feet went all the way around, he jerked his arms—he didn't know where to go or what to do. A small cry escaped his lips and the bike shifted to the right. His foot shot down to the ground to balance himself upright again. He stared down at the road, at the handlebars and he had a determined face._

_"What are you_ doing, _Nico?" A voice cried out behind him._

_Nico twisted around, feeling that pain in his rear again, and he saw Bianca standing outside. She wore her skinny jeans with holes all over it and a green shirt—because green was her favorite color. Her dark hair was pinned back and her hand was above her eyes to shield the bright sun's rays so she can see him._

_ "I'm learning to ride a bike!"_

_ She narrowed her eyes._ _"_What?_"_

_He looked down at the ground._

_ Bianca sighed and walked out onto the road with her floppy green flip-flops. She approached him with her hands lightly hooking onto her hips. "Did someone make you do this?"_

_ "No!" He snapped back. "What's wrong with me wanting to ride a bike?"_

_ Her face softened and she let her hands hang by her sides. Her almond-shaped dark brown eyes were full of concern. "There's _nothing _wrong with it. I just don't want you to feel as if you _have _to do it because someone made you."_

_"No one made me," Nico half-lied. "I'm just the only kid who can't ride a bike."_

_ Bianca stared at him and he liked the way she looked at him. It was full of kindness, and he knew that she would always be there for her. He loved her, and he knew she deserved more than she got. One day, he was going to build a great, big house for the two of them to live in and they would be so rich that no one could be mean to them._

_ But this time, he thought she was going to yell at him for not telling her. _

_ So he had sighed and slipped off the bike, taking its handlebars and turning back to the garage._

_ "What are you doing?" she asked again._

_ "Taking the bike back," he mumbled without looking at her._

_"I thought you wanted to learn how to ride it." She said. He gasped and turned back, his eyes full of hope and wonder. "So then why are you putting it back?" _

_ Nico smiled at her._

_ Bianca smiled back._

_For that rest of the afternoon and evening, she taught him how to ride a bike. It took a while, what with Nico always getting frustrated for it taking _so long. _Multiple times, he gave up, kicked the bike over and it clattered on the road, and trudged back to the house._

_But Bianca had always there to stop him. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Nico, I think you're forgetting the concept of learning to ride a bike."_

_ His lower lip went out and he pouted, his arms crossed over his chest. He gave everything around them the stink-eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"Learning to ride a bike is not what makes you ride a bike." She had said._

_ His shoulders dropped and he looked at her, the stink-eye going away. "What do you mean?"_

_"The reason why it's so important to_ learn _first is because it means that if you can actually do it, then you're willing to_ try. Learning _is always about_ trying. _So, if you want to ride a bike better than all those other kids, you do it because you know you_ _tried, not because you know you can do it."_

_That night, Nico learned how to ride a bike because he had tried._

He thought of that moment now as he stared at Percy. She wouldn't want him acting like the way he was now, being bratty and not willing to do anything. Not willing to try. And Nico had to try, in order to heal himself about Bianca's death.

Nico suddenly realized how Percy must feel right about now, except he was probably worse. It had been his fault that they had died, but Nico had to forgive him for that. He had to forgive himself, too. None of them could change what had happened, but that didn't mean Nico had to give up on everything.

No, there was one thing he could do.

He could try and catch up on his life again.

Percy was right, and he had said that he wasn't trying to take Bianca's place, but Percy sure did remind Nico of her now. The way they both wanted to take care of him.

Nico wondered if it wasn't a coincidence that Bianca had told Percy to take care of him—they were both saying the same thing, it was like she knew Percy would be there.

He smiled a little. Bianca had that sense about her—how she knew just about everything about everyone—what they loved, their weaknesses.

Percy saw this smile and wondered what was going on in Nico's head. He had looked at him with white hot fury and pain, and now he was smiling. Suddenly, he felt scared, and thought about the things Nico could probably do to him.

But he saw that different light on Nico. And he knew that, in that split second, something had clicked inside of him.

Nico didn't say anything except sit back down next to Percy. He laced his fingers together, his pale skin filled with paler lines of scars. So many scars filled his arms, but Nico didn't pay attention to that. He stared at the floor, his black hair tumbling down and tickling his eyebrow. He reached up and brushed it back.

Percy stared at him. He took in a deep breath. "Are you willing to try?"

Nico looked back up at Percy and the tears glazed over his eyes, making his vision blurry. A couple fell and traveled down his nose. He blinked, letting a couple more fall, and then he made a sound and reached up to wipe them with his sleeve. This weighed down his heart, what Percy had said, and he suddenly felt like sobbing at the reenact of Bianca's words.

He straightened and looked over at Percy again.

His lips were pressed together, and he nodded.

Nico was getting back on the bike, and from this point forward, he was learning to ride.

Percy smiled, but his lips were also pressed together. It was a kind smile that even made his green eyes turn upward, becoming lighter.

"C'mon, don't you have a class to go to?" Percy wrapped an arm around Nico and pulled him up.

"No. We have a funeral to go to." Nico answered.

Percy looked down at him and his eyes were full of remorse, but still with that glint of kindness. He nodded. "You got it."

* * *

Annabeth sat on the roof of their apartment building. It was nice and quiet up there, where the sounds of the city—cars honking, people yelling, the buzzing of electricity from the lights—echoed. It sounded like a soft symphony in the background. This was also where no one could bother her, where no one looked to find her. Where, for once, she could be absolutely invisible.

This was her most favorite place in the world. Especially at dusk, where the sun began to nestle back into the corner of the earth, in between the seas and the sky, reflecting both.

She sat in the corner, wearing one of Luke's t-shirts and a pair of shorts, where the two walls of the building come together and her back rested on one of the walls, her knees drawn to her chest, one arm wrapped around her stomach, the other slung over the edge of the building. She tapped her slender fingers against the cement of the roof.

It felt good here. It was calm and her dark gray eyes analyzed the sky.

Orange washed over the clouds, and the dark blue faded beneath it, touching the other buildings, touching the ground, making everything darker, but the lights even brighter. The sunset was beautiful and blazed.

But nothing should be beautiful. She just lost someone she loved—the world should look dead to her.

But it didn't and she couldn't help but feel guilty for thinking it did. She pressed her lips and with her right arm—the one resting on the side of the building—she cradled the side of her face in her palm. With the other hand, she reached to the cement and drew invisible circles on it.

Annabeth never even got to say goodbye to him. He didn't even send a message to her, it was just Thalia. And while she should think that that's a good thing, it wasn't. It didn't feel like it—just felt angry at him, and wished she could ask him _why_. She wondered if he ever loved her.

Suddenly, she thought of Percy. How good he was to her, and she blinked harshly, closing her eyes, and scolded herself for comparing the two. Luke was dead, she can't be mad at him for that.

Luke was dead.

_Luke was dead._

He's gone.

_I'm never going to see him again._

The tears prickled against her eyes and it tickled her nose. She didn't wipe them away like she usually did so that no one would give her the pity look. She let them fall because she knew that no one was there to see it.

Annabeth let her guard down and she raised her hands to her face, covering it, smothering it, and sobbed. She sobbed and yelled until her voice got raw. She screamed _why_—why would he do this to her? Why would he leave her? Why didn't he _say_ something? Why did he leave her like this? Why did he have to go?

She did this because no one could hear her—_no one_. Her cries would echo and fade into the daily racket of New York. She was so far up, too, that it'd be impossible if someone would hear her.

Annabeth finally stopped and wept into her fingers and water was everywhere, the she didn't even bother wiping it off. Her tears fell like raindrops—fast, but going nowhere.

Finally, after ten minutes, she tried to regain herself. She wiped at her eyes, rubbing her hands on his t-shirt.

Then she froze and her heart stopped. She looked down at the faded blue shirt and didn't touch it—she was so afraid to get anything on it and now her tears were on it. She felt as if she had ruined it. She didn't let her hands anywhere near it, even though much of her skin was still touching it on the inside.

She sniffed, her nose runny, and then told herself that if she accidentally got her snot on it, she would wash it a dozen times and never forgive herself.

She took a deep breath, but it caught multiple times. Annabeth had cried so hard that she was hiccupping. She told herself to calm down and take deep breaths, and soon, they left her as she didn't think about it.

She looked over the edge and found that the ground was far, far away. She blinked slowly, her face feeling hot and splotchy. Annabeth sighed and then looked up when she heard the clatter of the door to the stairs.

She was surprised. She didn't think anyone would find her here. She looked at the person and saw a small shadow walking towards her.

When the person came out of the shadows, she stared at Thalia, who was wearing a sweatshirt—that Annabeth recognized was also Luke's—and shorts. She looked as if she were also crying, and didn't have any makeup on, so her electric blue eyes were dull.

She approached Annabeth with a frown, and Annabeth didn't show any different expression. Thalia sat next to her, crossing her leg underneath the other knee, and wrapped up her sleeves in her fingers, not letting it show her hands, and rested them in her lap. Thalia stared ahead.

None of them said anything for a while.

Thalia stared off into the distance, at the sunset, taking in the beautiful sight. She was breathing heavily, and had been for the past couple of nights from her dreams and nightmares about Luke.

"I heard you crying." Thalia said in a small and soft voice.

But Annabeth could hear her perfectly, since they were right next to each other, and it was so different than her screams.

Now she was even more surprised.

Annabeth swallowed past the lump that was prepared to choke up her words. "H-how?"

She heard a noise that was nearby. It sounded like a cat.

Suddenly, a black cat _did_ come out of the shadows.

"Mittens led me here. I was standing behind the door, and I heard you."

The black cat with spots of black on its chest and paws sauntered over to Thalia and sniffed her thighs, as if asking for permission to rest on her lap. Thalia lifted her hands and pets the cat with one of them.

Annabeth sniffed as her eyes filled with tears again in instinct. "We don't have a cat."

"It's the old lady's in the next building," she pointed past Annabeth, but didn't look at her as Mittens crawled into her lap, sitting, first, as if testing out her lap, and then it shifted its feet and laid down. Mittens lifted her head toward the sun, sniffing the air, and her eyes smiled as they closed. Annabeth began to hear the cat purr.

"You stole a cat?" Annabeth asked softly, though her voice was a little nasally.

Thalia gave her a look. "I wouldn't _steal a cat_. It came to _me_, I swear."

"Won't the lady be looking for it?"

"She's got so many, so probably not." Thalia shrugged.

Annabeth looked over at Thalia and the sunset lit up her eyes, and put a tint in her black hair. It brought out the hollow places under her high cheekbones and at her temples.

Thalia still frowned as she looked down at Mittens, who still had her eyes closed. "I heard you crying about Luke."

Annabeth swallowed and looked down at her shirt and fiddled with an unraveled string. "Isn't everyone?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Annabeth, Luke didn't want to die." Thalia ignored her question and her brow furrowed as she stared at Annabeth. "He didn't mean for this to happen. No one plans their death."

The other girl took a deep breath and pressed her lips together so hard, they made a white line. She released the breath through her nose. "I know."

"You think he didn't think about you, don't you?"

Annabeth hesitated, but then nodded.

"You're wrong. He did—he always does. Never think the opposite, because it's not true. He loved you—he loved all of us."

"So then why did he only tell you that? Why did he only tell you goodbye?"

Thalia shook his head. "Because I'm the oldest. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me,"

"Because you would act exactly like this still. You wouldn't have been any happier, Annabeth, and you know it. You'd hole yourself up and always think about what he said if he said anything to you. You would never get over it if he told you goodbye."

"Why not?" Annabeth snipped.

"Because that's just who you are. You always over-think. He never told you about the mess he was in, Annabeth. He told me, and he knew that if I could handle that, I could bear the weight of his last words, too. But you, on the other hand, wouldn't be able to handle that."

Annabeth felt mad. How could Thalia be telling her this?! This made her so mad that she almost got up and left. She clenched her jaw, and just as she was about to stand, Thalia put her hand on Annabeth's—without the sleeve covering it.

It chilled Annabeth how cold Thalia's hands were. They were like ice and this planted her in her spot. She was concerned for Thalia, and suddenly understood what she meant. If this was how Thalia was, then Annabeth would've been much worse.

Thalia looked up at her with soft eyes. "But you know what I think he would've told you?"

"What?" Annabeth's words came out so soft that she herself could barely hear them.

"He would tell you not to waste your tears on him. Just because he died, it doesn't mean that he's gone. He's still here," Thalia rested her finger over Annabeth's heart. "But for you, he'll _always_ be _here_," then she rested the pad of her finger in the middle of Annabeth's forehead. "You'll never stop thinking about him—just like now."

A laugh bubbled from Annabeth's throat. That sounded like something Luke would tell her.

Thalia smiled. "See, if you think about him enough, it's almost like he's still here."

Annabeth blinked and then she stopped.

The other girl blinked and took her hand back and rested it on Mitten's smooth and soft black coat. She felt her body slowly move up and down underneath her hands, and the touch of a being made her touch gentle. She could see the gears working in Annabeth's head.

"I've never thought of it that way,"

Now a laugh bubbled from Thalia. "That's a first,"

Annabeth smirked, but Thalia had to make sure she wasn't getting the wrong idea. "Listen," she blinked slowly and shook her head. "This doesn't mean you think about him all the time. This just means that he's not gone, and you don't have to get depressed about his death. You still need to move on at some point. Okay?"

Annabeth nodded, but didn't look at Thalia.

Thalia patted her shoulder and then cradled Mittens in her arms. Mittens' eyes opened and she looked surprised that she was suddenly being picked up. Thalia stood, but paused to look down at Annabeth.

Mittens' tail swayed back and forth as she lay on her back in Thalia's arms. She tilted her head and also looked at Annabeth and then meowed.

"Just…for once, don't let his death make you stupid."

Annabeth snorted.

Thalia smiled. "It's going to be okay,"

Annabeth nodded.

The girl carrying the cat walked away, scratching Mittens' head. She disappeared behind the door.

Annabeth was alone. She stared back out at the sky, where the sun was finally beginning to disappear. The dark blue began to swallow the orange, and night began to rise. The moon twinkled like a far away star, just beginning to approach the earth.

She stared at the blue in the sky. She thought about Luke, about his features. She thought about the good side of him that cared about the ones he loved. He might've been mixed up in some evil stuff, but that wasn't the part that mattered to Annabeth. He loved her, and she loved him—though it was never the way he and Thalia were in his last moments.

Annabeth thought about his smile and that laugh. The one that came from deep inside of him, growing out and making his voice rumble, he was so happy. She thought about that scar that suddenly appeared, but she erased it. In her mind, she completely reformed that good side in Luke—the one that's living happy in the spirit's world, wherever that may be, because Annabeth didn't know.

The Luke where nothing was wrong, where he wasn't running away, where he wasn't frowning, where he wasn't dealing in the wrong parts of town. The Luke she always knew, since high school and college, the one that helped her, the one that would do anything to save them.

The one where his blue eyes twinkled when he felt _good_. Where his smile made his eyes light up, and even when his mouth wasn't, his eyes were smiling.

Annabeth bit her fingernail and her gray eyes peered into that blue in the sky. She began to smile a little.

And then, in the echo of the city below her, she heard it. It rang throughout the streets and reached her, and ended there, as if it were meant for _her_. It was his laugh.

She began to smile a little, the laugh still in her ears.

The blue took shape in the sky. It smiled at her, lighting up.

Annabeth's eyes were wet as the shape took form, and made a clear outline in the clouds. She saw it—just for a split second.

She chuckled and grinned and a tear escaped. She wiped it away, blinking her long lashes. She stared back at the sky, where his smiling face still lingered.

"Hey, Luke," Annabeth said softly, her voice cracking.

The clouds smiled down at her.

_It'll be okay._

_ I'm okay._

"I know you are." Annabeth responded.

His face disappeared, and a star took its place.

* * *

Annabeth had changed clothes and went to the one person she knew that would help her get over it. She went to the person who knew how to calm her down, and that person was someone she needed to help as well. It was someone she loved a little more than Luke now.

She knocked on his apartment door, but no one answered it. She waited for a couple seconds before knocking again. Still, no one. And then minutes passed. Annabeth began to wonder if he was in there, doing this on purpose, or if he really was gone.

She decided that she would come another time. Annabeth turned and walked away, her heart weighing in her chest.

"Hey, Annabeth," A voice said.

She looked up at the source of the voice.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked. His hands were in the pockets of his blue jacket.

The corners of her mouth lifted upwards. "I was, um, going to talk to you."

"Oh." Percy said. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A couple minutes."

"Sorry. I was at the funeral with Nico."

Annabeth nodded.

"He stayed a little longer," he looked down at the floor.

"It's okay," she said. "I guess he's not taking it any lightly."

Percy shook his head.

"I can go, if you want—"

"No." Percy cut her off and he took one long stride and wrapped his arms around her body, burying his face into her shoulder. He hugged her tighter and all the pressure released from his system. She unlocked that in him, she made him feel secure. "Please don't go. I need someone,"

Annabeth hugged him back without shock. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, too. She hid her nose under the hood of his jacket and pressed her forehead against his neck, feeling his voice as it made goose bumps cross over her scalp.

"I need you." He added on.

She blinked, her gray eyes barely peeking out from behind his hood. Her voice cracked as she spoke, "I need you, too, Seaweed Brain."

They stayed that way for a little longer and a few tears escaped her eyes and dampened his hoodie, but then she remembered what Thalia/Luke had told her. Not to waste her tears. So she immediately stopped once she reminded herself that there was nothing to cry about—nothing to cry about when she was in Percy's arms.

He pulled back and stared at her. "Let's go inside, c'mon," he pulled her to the door that was a couple steps away and opened it, letting them both inside. He didn't let go of her hand.

* * *

They lay in his bed, the covers around them. That's all they did—just lay there, with their clothes on. Their arms and legs were tangled and locked and they wished they could just stay there for the rest of their lives.

The blinds were pulled up from his window and you could see right through it and get the front-row view of the moon. It glowed and cast a wave of silver over them both. They were wrapped in the comforter and blankets, so warm underneath them, but Annabeth was warmest just being next to Percy.

She realized then that she was never cold when she was around him. She never felt out of place, either. It was always as if this was where she had always meant to be.

"It was dark," Percy said in a low voice as he stared out the window. He didn't take his green eyes off of the moon.

Annabeth shifted her head on his chest, looking up at him from under his hard jaw. She was about to ask what, but then he continued.

"The abandoned house was completely empty. Still smelt like paint," he recalled as the memories flashed through his mind.

"Percy, you don't have to talk about it."

"I want to." He said and glanced down at her, but then back at the moon. "I think that, maybe if I tell you, it'll all go away."

This made her silent.

He hesitated before continuing. "I had never held a gun before. All I wanted to do was drop it. I could feel, in my gut, that this was a bad idea." He closed his eyes. "But I still led them in."

Annabeth still didn't say anything.

"We heard them from inside a room. They were talking about how they were going to kill us once they got what they wanted. They said that, if we didn't come or screwed them, they would go after you." He looked down at her. "They were going to hurt you, Annabeth. I couldn't let them do that."

Annabeth could feel and see how broken he was—in his eyes. They were cracking and she knew the tears would spill.

"Hey," she stretched out her fingers on his chest. "I'm okay now. They didn't hurt me—they didn't even go near me. It's okay."

"I know. But I hadn't known that then. They were also going to hurt Thalia. I wouldn't let them do any of that and I was so stupid. If I had thought, if I had planned what I was going to say before I barged in, maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe if I hadn't said that I could help them, then Luke and Bianca would still be alive."

"Don't think like that, don't say that."

"But it's true." Percy's brows creased together. "I didn't even know for sure if I was right. And I let them walk right into something they thought I was sure about, but really, didn't know anything about."

He swallowed and continued, "They were wearing hoods, covering their faces, like the cowards they are." He spat that out. "Bianca was there, and it was all up to me."

Percy was glad he was lying down in his bed, because then at least he was comfortable with confessing his mistakes. He could feel the mattress beneath his back.

"I tried talking to them, making some sort of deal. I met Apollo; I know what he looks like. And if I ever see him again—"

"You tell me, and I'll judo-flip him and kick him in the face so hard he pukes." Annabeth mumbled against his shirt.

Percy chuckled and she could feel his body rumble beneath her.

"Yeah, I will," he said. But then he frowned. "But that won't stop anything. The deal hadn't worked, I had blown my cover. And Luke came in. He saved me. I didn't save him. I still owe him."

"No, you don't, Percy."

"I never did anything in return," he said softly.

"Yes, you did. You carried his message to Thalia. Then you helped Nico. You're equal with it."

Percy sighed. "It doesn't feel like it."

"It never will. But you have to learn to move past it, Percy,"

"I know." He closed his eyes, and suddenly, he felt _so_ tired. "We ran and they shot Bianca. I went back to help her, and they shot her again. She was bleeding too much," images of Bianca's blood all over the floor flashed in his mind. "She told me to help Nico. And then she…" he trailed off. It burned in his memories when he looked at her and the light left her eyes—the look of her knowing that she was going to be gone the next time she closed her eyes—blazed back at him.

Annabeth reached up and stroked his cheek, kissing the other one. "Percy," she said softly.

He drew in a deep breath and continued, "I had to go because Apollo was coming. I ran away. I met up in the room with Luke and Nico, and I couldn't tell him that I—that his sister was gone. Luke was trying to tell me something." Percy squeezed his eyes, trying to remember.

"'_Percy, listen'_, he had said. But I didn't. I couldn't because I was still thinking about Bianca. He was trying to tell me that he had gotten help. I wasn't listening though. And if I had, I could've heard Apollo coming."

Annabeth shook her head. "You couldn't have. You couldn't have done anything different."

"I could have prevented the bullet." Percy said.

Another lump formed in Annabeth's throat. "No. Stop beating yourself up for it."

Percy opened his eyes. "He looked so happy when he died." His breath was heavy. "I had never seen a person die with a smile on their face—not a bitter smile, a graceful one. Like he was truly happy."

Tears threatened to come up again, and she tried to push them down, but they didn't. Annabeth let loose and they filled her eyesight. Percy felt them on his shirt. He pulled her closer and kissed her honey blond hair. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. I'm—"

"Don't. Percy," she twisted onto her stomach and then put both of her hands on his cheeks, holding his face, staring into his deep, sea-green eyes. "You don't have to be sorry for anything," he reached up and swiped his thumb over her tears that fell as she spoke. "You've fixed all that was needed to be fixed."

"Except for you." He said. His eyes swept all over her face, half of it in the moonlight, the other half in the shadows.

Annabeth stared at him and he swallowed. "You, you helped _me_. Just now, in ways you can't even imagine." He paused for a moment, and then added on, "I love you, and everything about you. Your entire being is a part of me—the way you think, the way you feel, who you like, who you don't like—you're a part of my memories now."

She kept staring, and her eyebrows furrowed. His words surprised her so much she could barely decipher what he was saying.

He shook his head a little and a smile split across his face. Percy's thumb reached up and he smoothed it over her eyebrows, unfurrowing them. "No," he said, "stop _thinking_, Wise Girl,"

Annabeth opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Percy leaned up and pressed his lips against hers, holding it there, and enveloping her aura. His hand went behind her head to hold her tighter, but he didn't need to do that because Annabeth's fingers curled around his neck. She closed her eyes and kissed him, too.

He stopped and looked back, staring at her. In the moonlight, one of her gray eyes twinkled while the other one was a shadow. He leaned up again, his lips planting a kiss right next to her lips. He planted another one on her jaw. He let his lips glide all over her face.

They were healing each other, wrapped in each other's arms, in each other's warmth. They needed to be with each other, they knew, it's like they were tied together, bound together, like they were each other's air to breathe. Annabeth was glad she had stopped by.

On this night, in this moment, they forgot about death, about sadness, about troubles that were troubling them because that all faded, that was all forgotten and unimportant when the only thing they were focused on was being with the other.

* * *

**I enjoyed writing this. :) I really did. **

**So I'm dreading tomorrow because I have to run seven laps. My school thinks that we don't get enough exercise, so they make us dress-out and compare us to a woman who has worked out all her life. I'm like, are you kidding?! I walk around the entire campus just to get to my next class! I get enough exercise every day!**

**It's stupid, I know. But I'm not a running person. I write and I draw - I don't ****_do_**** outside activities. **

**That is why I'm posting this up today because all of your reviews make me so very happy! I read each and every one of your reviews, and PMs and I love them all! Please review and sign that petition! **

**Oh, and this is off-topic, but I saw City of Bones last weekend. SOOO GOOOOD! If you haven't read the books, then that's okay, because the movie is so close to the book. Everything about this movie was great! And Jace is beautiful, so that's automatically a great movie! But seriously, it was good; I recommend you go see it if you haven't already! :)**

**Enjoy the rest of the week! Please tell me if you liked this chapter! :))**


	9. What Comes Up Must Come Down

**Hey, guys I'm back:) I'm so sorry for the long wait, and thank you for the reviews! I do not own PJO, Rick does, this story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

Thalia never thought she would, but there was one word she was beginning to hate more than ever: condolences.

She went to the market that's right around the corner from their apartment just to pick up a carton of milk for Mittens. Just one thing—milk, and it's a small part of town they're in, so everyone knows her there.

But this was just _ridiculous_.

That morning she had woken up to Mittens licking her face and pawing at her. She was forced to get up and to get out the door without getting ready to get something to feed the cat.

So she walked out of the apartment wearing her sweat pants and tank top. She didn't think anyone would be there because no one ever is, but this one day, it's like the whole building's there.

Thalia knows they're talking about her and the disappearance of Luke. She knows because once she steps in wearing Luke's sliders, and they stop talking and stare at her like she was some sort of mutant.

But she heard one last sentence in the background:

"I heard her friend, Annie, going crazy on the roof."

Thalia grits her teeth and she clenches her fists by her sides and walks to the cold section, feeling all of their eyes on her. She stops and looks back, and the entire crowd looks away.

She decides to play along, thinking that this could be fun. Thalia trails along the side with the chips, and with her back turned to them, she starts to make her eyes fill up with tears, though it's not that hard because she takes one look at his sliders on her feet and her heart weighs in her chest and she begins to cry a little. Then she thinks about Jason, and how she missed his entire life, his wedding, and thinks about Luke again and how he thought he died because he thought he was saving the both of them.

She choked out a sob, but then heard an "Aww…" and immediately sucked it up and remembered that these people were two-faced in this moment. They didn't have the guts to actually pity for a person, and make sure they're okay, but instead focus on whispering about the rumors they heard about Annabeth on the roof.

Thalia gritted her teeth and then looked at a random bag of chips and reached for them. Then she stopped because she realized that she didn't like the salty kind, and then quickly jerked her hand to the Cheetoes.

She broke down sobbing and clutched the bag of snacks close to her. Tears ran down her face, and she felt every single pair of eyes on her. She peeked open an eye and looked at them, her sobs suddenly dying, and she stared into the shocked and concerned faces.

She babbled out, still crying, "These were h-his favorite." Thalia clutched them closer to her chest.

_Nuh-uh!_ Luke would've said; _those aren't my favorite! I thought you knew—wait a minute. You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?_

"Oh," a couple of them crooned.

One, a woman, stepped up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I give you my condolences."

There was that word.

Condolences.

She couldn't even get her mouth to form the words because she loathed it so much. Thalia pressed her lips together and frowned and had to force the words out of her mouth:

"Thank you, so, very much." But she said it through gritted teeth and glared eyes.

The woman didn't seem to notice as she gave a smile. Not a kind one to Thalia, but a confident one to her own, as if she was proud of herself for actually being able to care for someone.

Thalia walked away and towards the milk. She casually picked out a carton from the fridge and turned around to find that all the people in there were still gawking at her.

"What are you looking at?" She threatened.

They tore their eyes away from her, suddenly frightened by her snap at them, and they scattered over the store again.

One teenage boy passed by her and called her a curse under his breath.

"Hey!" She took his shoulder and turned him around to face her and she pointed a free finger at his face. "Call me that one more time and I'll show you what a real witch on wheels looks like."

The boy's expression turns weird as if her touching him made him want to wriggle out from under her grasp.

And then a gasp ripples through the store and Thalia glances around, seeing everyone with shocked faces.

_Wow, Thalia, letting your anger get in the way of your beautiful plan. Again. _That's what Luke would've commented.

Thalia then recovers by backing up and covering face with hands and sobbing a little too loud. "I can't believe you would call me that!" Then she punches the guy in the chest for good measure. "My best friend just _died_ and you have the nerve to call me that?!"

She could imagine Luke shaking his head and crossing his arms. _Well, you_ can _be one sometimes._

Then the people in the store mourn for her again, but the boy can see through it as he scoffs.

Thalia shoots a glare at him through her fingers.

He glares back, but is cut off by another one of the ladies pulling on his ear. "You apologize to her right now, Gary!"

"Ugh, mom, I told you—my name is G-Man."

Thalia _had_ to snort. This kid was just a teenager.

"You're not an adult yet, it's impossible for you to change your name!"

Gary sighed and then looked at Thalia, who was waiting with a glint in her eyes, though it was mistaken for tears, and a smirk.

"Sorry," He snapped.

Thalia sniffed and said, "Whatever. Just let me grieve in peace," then she walked to the counter to pay, but then remembered that Mittens had pushed her out of the door so fast that she hadn't been able to grab some money. She gritted her teeth and thought, _Stupid cat._

_What are you doing?!_ Luke would've yelled and offered out a hand and eyebrows scrunched. _You've got the whole ball game set up! Now knock it out of the park._

Thalia was confused for a little bit. Since when did Luke become her conscious?

Since he died, it replied.

_Since I died—since I left you. See, you were right, to Annabeth, I mean. I'm always going to be there._

Thalia smirks smugly and she can't help but think: _So it_ is _true, huh? Great minds think alike._

_You wish,_ Luke replied. I'm _the one giving you the advice here._

Thalia walks up to the counter, conjuring more tears as she carefully sets the objects on it, her hands shaking, and her eyelids fallen in sadness. She can feel the register clerk staring at her with a frown and pity eyes, and she knows she's got this in the bag. So then she digs her hands in her sweatpants' pockets, searching for money, but then her eyes widen in surprise. With shaking hands, she pulls out the insides of her pockets and shows that there's nothing in them.

Thalia starts breathing heavily. "I could've sworn…" then she sighs. "I was planning so much about Luke's funeral that I—"

"I-it's okay." The girl, the clerk, said. "Don't worry about it, it's on us." And she smiles at Thalia sweetly.

Thalia smiles too, and on the inside, she knows that the mission is accomplished, but she can't seem too ready.

"Are you sure? Just because my best friend was murdered brutally, doesn't mean that I should be treated differently than all these other citizens of the store." Her hand waves to all the other customers, and her voice is airy.

"Of course it does! Here," The woman puts her things in a plastic bag and then it holds it out to her. "Go ahead, it's on me."

Thalia feels bad for a moment, but then she remembers that it's not completely a lie—her best friend really was brutally murdered.

Behind her, Luke would stare at her, his arms still crossed. And he'd be shaking his head slowly, but a smug smirk lining his lips. _Wow, I can't believe you—using my death as an excuse to get free food._

Well, you're the one helping me do it, aren't you? Thalia answers back as she cries a little and walks out the door of the store.

Luke would stand there, dumbstruck. But then he points a finger at her. _Hey! Don't put this on me! I'm dead, but you put me in as your subconscious!_ Then he would stop and stare at her. _Really, Thalia? You made a dead man be your thoughts?_

"You weren't just a dead man," she whispers under her breath to where only she could hear it.

_I loved you._

This time, the tears that passed into her eyes were real.

* * *

Thalia glared at the cat.

Mittens sniffed at the bowl of milk that Thalia put out for her and then looked up at her as if saying, "What kind of demon poison is this?"

"Oh, no you don't." Thalia says, putting her hands on her hips. "I got that for free! Just for you! Do you know how hard that was?!"

Mittens gave her a look, her cat eyes lazy, and her tail swishing back and forth, barely teasing the floor. She meowed at Thalia and then sat down, and looked away, ignoring both Thalia and the milk.

Thalia's jaw dropped and she stared at it incredulously.

"No. Don't you dare."

"Thalia?" A voice asks and suddenly Rachel appears. She blinks at her in confusion. "Who are you talking to?"

"The cat!" Thalia's hands thrusts out at Mittens. "Who else?!"

Rachel frowns. "Right. Silly me,"

Thalia sighs. "It made me get something for it to eat and when I got the milk for free, it doesn't even appreciate it! Spoiled brat," she mumbles.

Mittens yowls at her and then walks over to the table, jumping up onto it.

Thalia glares at it, but then Rachel takes her arm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You got it for free? How?"

"It's a long story…" Thalia trailed off. "The point is that Mittens here isn't eating it! Now we have wasted milk."

"Are we seriously going to keep calling it Mittens?" Rachel asks as she takes the bowl of milk and washes it out. "Doesn't it seem a little clichéd? And weird?"

"Yeah…" Thalia sighs and she slumps down in a chair that has its back to the now un-named cat. She remembers its paws and how it looked like it had Mittens, but for some reason, she reminded Thalia of Luke. The way it acts, all smart and silent at the same time, and always loving on her.

She sighs again as her heart weighs down in her chest and she looks down at the shoes—her sliders. The sliders that used to be Luke's, the ones that he wore when he felt the same way she did—lazy and tired and sad.

Then she blinked, tilting her head to the side and was reminded of the so-called "mittens" on her paws.

"Not mittens," she says as it begins to dawn on her. "She's wearing sliders!" Thalia turns around to face the cat as she said, "Your new name is Sliders!"

When she says the name, Sliders looks up and continues crunching on the Cheetoes, her whiskers covered with orange. She looked caught in the act, her eyes wide open, and Thalia could swear she saw a small scar going over one of the eyes.

Rachel starts laughing. "See, Thalia? Sliders isn't a spoiled brat! She still ate something you got for free!"

Thalia closes her mouth and glares at Sliders, who just licks her lips and then continues eating it.

Thalia sits back and says, "Whatever," and pets Sliders. She can't be mean to her now that she resembles Luke in some way.

_Softening up, aren't you Grace?_

Thalia purses her lips and stops petting her. "In your dreams!" She says and takes back the Cheetoes bag.

Sliders gives her a pouting look.

"Don't give me that look."

Sliders meows softly and takes a step toward Thalia, bumping her forehead on her arm, and rubbing her ears on her fingers, begging for a Cheetoe.

_Can't resist me, can you?_ Luke would wiggle his eyebrows.

Thalia sighs and then slips one of the crunchy snacks out and offers it out to Sliders, who nibbles on the end.

* * *

Annabeth had to admit that the past few months were hard, but she was surprised at how well everyone was healing.

First, there was Percy. The very next day, he had woken up early, picked up Nico from his apartment, and drove them to the Café just so he knew he could get to work on time. Annabeth had asked him how he was doing with it, and Percy said something that made her bite back on calling him Seaweed Brain.

He had leaned on the counter as he watched Nico hand a customer a mug. "Listen, I know everyone's all broken about Luke and Bianca's death. But…Luke was right. He had saved everyone. Yeah, he's gone, but it's almost like he and Bianca teamed together and made sure that we had something that would help make up for that, help us…not be so sad about them. You know?" He had tilted his head to the side, his eyebrow furrowed, and his green eyes glowing.

Annabeth knew.

She had looked back at Nico and asked how he was doing.

"I can see him changing," Percy said under his breath to where only the two of them could hear. "He's getting better, I can tell."

"How do you know?" Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed.

Percy shrugged and he had started moving his arm back and forth, wiping the counter. "I just can. I guess it's just that brotherly, protective sense talking."

Annabeth had raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Percy had countered back, and pointed a finger at her. "I can be a brotherly or-or a fatherly figure. _Yeah_," He shook his head; his eyes were growing wide and his lips smirking.

Annabeth had stared at him for a while and all she could think was, yeah, he would be a good dad. Something stirred inside of her when she thought of that and tugged at her heart.

Percy smiled at her, in that way that made her blush and that way that made her just want to keep staring at his teeth and wide-pulled lips, the wrinkles that squeezed his eyes.

She was reminded of that night, and how it just took his presence to forgive what had happened with Luke. That night they were in the bed, where she didn't worry about anything else that had happened except for being with him. All Annabeth had thought about that night and morning was Percy. And she still thought of him now.

Annabeth had looked back at Nico, who the last time she had seen him, at the funeral, he was pale and his hair was in a tangled mess and he was hunched over. His eyes were red, like he'd been crying, and he was so skinny and fragile that Annabeth thought even the slight breeze would make him shatter.

But when she looked at him, he had looked at the two of them at the same moment. The sun was behind him in the window, and made out his outline. He was firmer, like he'd been working out and taking more care of himself. He'd gotten a haircut, too, and his dark hair wasn't anywhere near his eyebrows so Annabeth could see his eyes perfectly clear—and they weren't red. His back was straight, his shoulders weren't curved.

Annabeth had to agree with Percy: he did look different. And she could tell he was getting better on the inside.

She knew this because Nico smiled at them.

That had been the first time she'd ever seen him smile.

Annabeth smiled back and Percy spoke in her ear: "Yeah, every now and then there'd be a guy walking in looking for Nico, but he'd just tell them to go."

She had turned around to face him. "Wow, looks like you're doing well."

Percy smiled back at her. "So how's Thalia doing?" He had asked.

Thalia was doing just as well, even better than Annabeth thought she was going to be. A couple weeks ago, she'd walked into her apartment from Piper and Jason's house and found Thalia talking to Mittens—or, actually, Sliders.

"What is the matter with you, cat?!" She was screaming at it.

"Thalia," Annabeth had said, standing there as the door slowly swung closed and she had her fingers wrapped around the strap of her bag. "It's an animal. It can't talk back."

"Yeah, well she's talking back to me right now." Thalia countered, but she was looking at Sliders, her hands on her hips.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked, more serious this time.

Thalia gave her a strange look, as if nothing had happened, as if Luke wasn't gone, as if no single life had ended. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She had suddenly forgotten about her feud with the cat and picked her up, stroking her raven black fur.

"Well…" Annabeth had trailed off and her fingers still hurt from how hard she had wrung them together in her lap. "I thought you'd still be a little upset after what happened…"

A look of recognition had passed over Thalia's face. She had sighed and then stood and walked over to her, sitting next to her on the couch, Sliders sprawled on her lap.

"Listen, Annabeth," Thalia had said in a calm voice. "Yes, bad things happened. But, like I said, it's not like he's completely gone."

"But doesn't that make you miss him even more?"

"No, because somehow, that little bugger got himself embedded into my brain. I think in his thoughts now, it's crazy, I know," Thalia had closed her eyes and nodded and said that when Annabeth gave her a look. "But it just is. Maybe that's a different version of post traumatic stress disorder, I don't know, but I do." She had shaken her head. "It doesn't make me miss him more. It makes me grateful for what I have, and I know that, in the end, he _was_ protecting all of us. I've forgiven that, and I've moved on. I even got free food,"

Annabeth had given her an appalled look.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "It's a long story."

It seemed that Annabeth was the only one who couldn't get over him. But Percy had saved her from that, and she had saved him as well. So why was she still thinking that something was missing? She felt like she had to grieve longer, but she couldn't bring herself to it because the other part of her knew that everything was okay.

Bianca and Luke had died to save people, and now everyone was forgiving it.

She hoped they could do it for the third death.

* * *

The second week after the funeral, and Thalia had come back to work with Annabeth. She was a little sad about leaving Sliders back at home, but then Piper had looked at her with her face contorted in confusion.

Thalia explained that it was a cat and Piper smiled a little. "I've never had a pet before." She had said.

But Annabeth was starting to hate Sliders. She shed fur, and Annabeth had to clean that up. Her fur was black, so it was always automatically spotted out against the white cushions. Annabeth glared at the cat, which licked herself off in the corner, and she rolled her eyes, picking up the clump of fur through the vacuum cleaner sucker.

Jason was in the house that day, for some reason, he'd gotten a day off of work.

He glanced up and saw Sliders, then stopped and stared at her. Then he looked at Annabeth and pointed to the cat. "When did we get a cat?"

"Thalia stole it."

"That explains it."

They both smiled and chuckled a little and then Jason walked into the kitchen and placed the mail on the island.

Suddenly, a short scream erupted from upstairs.

Jason froze and then looked up at the staircase. He looked frightened by the familiar yelp.

Then the scream came again, and it was Piper.

Thalia came running in, dropping the giant bags of cat food on the floor.  
"What the hell was that?"

The scream came out again, loud and piercing, and there were thumping noises against the ceiling. Slider's ears perked up and her head rose, her cat eyes glowing as they searched the ceiling and stairs.

Jason bolted to the stairs and skipped three at a time, yelling out Piper's name while doing so.

But she appeared by the bedroom door and skipped the same amount of stairs going down to him. Her hair was flying around her face, and Jason stopped abruptly in shock. He thought she would be crying, in terror, and he would come to her rescue, but it was the other way around, because if her grin got any bigger, then her face would possibly explode.

She exclaimed and jumped down onto Jason, his arms wrapping around her, but his brows still furrowed in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked from the ground floor; she and Thalia hadn't moved.

Piper pulled back and she was now the one that was confused. "What are you talking about? Nothing's wrong,"

"But…you were screaming," Jason's hands still stayed on her hips that were still a step above him. His face was still pulled together in concern.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean something's wrong," Piper raised her hand and Annabeth now realized that she was holding something. It was a white stick, and she wasn't sure what it was at first. "This is a great thing!"

The three of them still stared. They weren't sure what to say, and what to feel because they still weren't sure what was going on.

But Piper looked as if she were expecting something. Her eyes were wide, and her lips were still smiling. "Guys!" She gestured her hands to herself as if they were supposed to understand what was happening.

Sliders meowed.

"See, Sliders knows what I'm talking about."

"Sorry, we don't speak cat." Thalia said.

Piper went down one step and she kissed Jason, who was glad that she was there with him, but still looked worried.

"Pipes, what's going on?"

Piper sighed impatiently. "I guess I'll just _tell_ you then…"

"Please," Annabeth said.

But Piper didn't pay attention to her. She wrapped her arm around Jason and her other hand went to his cheek and she smiled. Annabeth stared at how they looked at each other, like nothing else mattered, like it was just them in the whole world and no one else could interfere with that.

Jason wrapped his arms around her, too, and Piper said, "Sparky, you're going to be a dad."

Jason froze, and you could tell that he was speechless from where Annabeth stood. He frowned and stared at her. "What?" his voice came out so soft, that Annabeth could barely hear him.

Piper nodded her head. "It's true!"

Jason breathed out a laugh, and he now looked relieved. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Piper giggled and kissed him again. But when she pulled back, there was a look on her face that was so different from the happy one that she was just wearing. It was as if she had remembered a sad memory. "Maybe it'll work this time." She said.

Annabeth was confused again and the smile began to fade. "What do you mean by that?"

Jason was frowning as well and he peeled his eyes away from Piper and looked at her. "We've been pregnant…before already."

They didn't have to say more. Annabeth's heart weighed down in her chest. Their sadness was so palpable, she could taste it and her eyes burned.

Thalia frowned. "Is that why you like flowers so much?"

Piper stared at her for a while, having a silent conversation, and then she turned away and buried her head into Jason's shoulder.

Annabeth walked back and peeked through the curtains and out the window where the garden of Piper's lined up right outside the window. She could see all the little patches, every child different. Each one growing, their seeds and petals blooming and turning towards the sunshine. Annabeth smiled a little, because it was still beautiful even if it was sad.

But she couldn't help but feel that presence of death hang around her like a thunder cloud. She frowned and she stared at the flower that Piper had planted for Luke and Bianca. Luke's was growing tall, like he was, and she couldn't help but feel that it was staring right back at her.

Annabeth swallowed hard. Even though the flowers were pretty, each one looked like another gravestone in a cemetery. Each one was sad and the dew on the petals was like they were crying. She took in a deep breath through her nose and her breath was shaky coming in and still fragile when it came out. She was scared, for some reason. This was why she felt like something was missing.

This was why she still felt like she had to grieve.

Annabeth wished she could have seen it then, she wished she could've warned Jason and Piper.

Because what she saw out there was like a shadow, dark and eerie and cruel. It was just waiting, sitting, open and bare for someone to take it. It put a chill up her spine because she could swear she saw a spot open for another flower.

* * *

It had only been a couple of months, but Piper already had a bump in her tummy that made her touch it gingerly all the time. She was so prepared for this, that for a while, Annabeth thought she was going crazy—baby clothes, the bedroom was even dressed up in its kind furniture.

But then she saw that glow in Piper's eyes. How they turned an ocean blue, and then emerald green. She was excited. She even began treating Sliders like she was a baby, picking her up and making sure she was in human contact. It was proven that a human being can die if it's without any other human contact for an amount of days.

Piper would make sure that that wasn't going to be the case. She was always around everyone, sharing her time with others, making sure everyone else was okay before she was. And that caused some light arguments between her and Jason because he insisted that he made sure she was okay before anyone else was.

Annabeth had to stifle her chuckle and grin every time they did that. It was amusing, and it was loving. She enjoyed their couple and how they spent time around each other.

Every night for the past few months, Annabeth strived to be around Percy. For some reason, she always got this gut feeling to always be around him. Sometimes, that was almost impossible, and that made her frustrated, but then once her gray eyes finally landed on his figure, she was perfectly normal again. Like he was the antidote, the cure, to _her_.

She found herself missing him even more now, and it was an even powerful feeling every time she was near him, and then away from him. Annabeth was tied to Percy, like if she had even turned her back on him, her whole body and mind would unravel and strip her down to the point where she couldn't take it.

Percy was the same way, fighting to meet up with her at nights and they'd lay in his bed and talk and kiss the entire time. She soothed him, made his worries go away, and he didn't just need that, but he needed her in general. He was so used to her coming into the Café for lunch that he'd already have her seaweed coffee made and he'd stare at the door, ignoring every other customer until Annabeth walked in—until her being had literally passed through the door. Until that bell had rung and announced her presence.

Annabeth's life had been so happy lately, that she didn't think that anything bad would ever happen again.

But she should've known better because whatever comes up must come down.

* * *

This morning had been such an eerie morning. She woke up and she was usually greeted to the sunshine that formed a weird shape on her bedspread, or even the car noises of morning traffic finding its way to her window.

But this morning she had woken up to nothing but silence. Like the whole world had gone still.

She didn't think much of it as she got ready and ate breakfast. But even her seaweed coffee tasted bad that morning, and that was definitely a sign. Thalia was already dragging her out the door before she could comment about it.

The flowers weren't open this morning either. They were closed, their beautiful look being hidden. It was like the children underneath were hiding away and the dew made it look like they were crying.

The wind didn't blow, but it wasn't humid either. Just still. Nothing happened.

Annabeth had a bad feeling about today, but she still didn't say anything about it and just thought it was a part of her mind. Maybe it was just her—maybe she was the one who had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. But something told her that that wasn't the problem.

Thalia didn't seem to notice it. She walked in and started her daily chores. She had to feed Sliders first and then go to the store that day. Sometimes Piper offered to go, but today she was nowhere in sight.

"Piper?" Annabeth called out. "Jason?"

"Up here!" A deep voice said and Jason was climbing down the stairs now. "Piper doesn't feel very good, so—"

"Oh, hush, Sparky! I'm fine, honestly!" Piper said as she came out of the hallway wearing shorts and an over-sized t-shirt. Her hair was down and her eyes looked dull. They weren't that ocean blue or green, they were just…dull. Like they knew something was wrong, too.

She climbed down, gripping the railing.

Jason reached out for her. "Pipes, you need to go back to bed. Get some rest .You've been doing so much work lately—"

"Nonsense! Laney likes it," Piper put a hand on her stomach that was barely poking against her shirt.

Jason gave her a look, a motherly look, and he said, "Well I'm going to be right next to you whether you like it or not." He grasped her hand.

Piper smiled and kissed him. "Why wouldn't I want that?" She asked the rhetorical question and then continued down the stairs and landed on the couch.

But Annabeth could see that something was wrong. She still stood by the door, her hands hanging limply by her sides, and she stared at Piper. She wondered how Jason couldn't have seen it: the frown that was constantly on Piper's lips, the way her eyelids were hanging a little, the way she was always cradling her stomach.

Piper leaned back on the couch and she turned on the TV.

Annabeth sighed and pursed her lips, still not saying anything about it. She wished she could point it out, but she didn't know the words to say. So, instead, she continued on her own chores. She dusted and washed the dishes and by the afternoon, she was getting ready to do the laundry.

Piper had stayed in that one spot on the couch that whole day, staring at the TV, but Annabeth took looks at her every now and then and saw that she wasn't actually watching the screen.

Annabeth just walked away. Piper didn't say a word either, but Annabeth set down a glass of water down on the table next to her. But since the afternoon, Piper didn't take a drink out of it.

Sliders had walked up to her and jumped into her lap. But she didn't lay down there, no, she stared up at Piper and then meowed. She meowed, and it turned into yowling, deep and long, and it sounded it came from the depths of her throat. It put a chill up her back.

Piper frowned at Sliders as she lightly scratched the back of the cat's neck. Sliders stared at her like she was trying to tell her something. Soon, after Piper began to ignore the cat, Sliders jumped down from her lap and walked away, her tail low and in between her legs.

Annabeth was pulling out the dried clothes out of the dryer. Thalia had gone back out to the store because she had forgotten something.

She expected the towels to feel so warm in her grasp, like how they usually do when she takes them out, but this time they were cold. So cold that they almost burned her hands. She frowned at it as she set it in the basket at her feet. It seemed that nothing was working today.

"Pipes, you want something to eat?" She heard Jason ask in the other room.

"I'll get it," Piper said after blinking like she just came out of a daze.

"No, no, it's okay. I'll get it." Jason said.

"Jase, it's fine. I can still get something to eat on my own."

Jason frowned and stepped back a little. "Sorry, just thought I could help you out a little."

Piper sighed and realized that this was making her mood meddle with Jason. She didn't want that, because she never snaps at him. "I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said. "Thank you for offering, but I'll get it, it's okay." She rested a hand on his cheek and kissed him.

He smiled as he watched her walk to the refrigerator.

Piper felt dizzy suddenly, and she began to feel an excruciating pain. She doesn't know where it's coming from, but it hurt so bad that she stumbles and falls against the refrigerator. Her hand grips the handle to keep herself up, but the floor feels like it's banging against her head.

"Piper!" Jason exclaimed and she could hear the concern in his voice. He was suddenly next to her, his arms holding her up. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Oh," she chuckled airily because she couldn't catch her breath. "Looks like Laney's kicking up a storm," she lied.

Jason frowned and it was almost like he could detect the lie that spilled from her dry mouth. "I think you should rest."

Piper liked that idea. She felt like throwing up and that pain was only getting worse. She nodded and didn't feel like protesting about her resting this entire day. "Okay," She mumbled.

"Okay?" His eyebrows reached his hairline and he steadied her more.

She nodded and swallowed hard, beginning to stand straighter even though her knees wobbled. But Jason's hands held her and she was able to stand in his warmth. It never reached her though and she felt cold, her hands shaking in fear.

That pain was familiar. Like something she'd felt many times before. She wished it would just go away; why couldn't death ever leave her?

She began to cry a little as Jason helped her up the stairs. He held her tighter, hugging her, his mouth against her hair and he whispered that everything was going to be okay and that she just needed rest. His words calmed her but it didn't make the pain go away.

"Annabeth, Piper's going to be upstairs!" Jason called to her.

Annabeth walked out of the laundry room carrying a yellow clothes basket. Her eyebrows were pulled together in worry. "Okay. Is something wrong?"

"She just doesn't feel well. She's getting some rest,"

Annabeth nodded. "Tell me if she needs anything, because I'll get it."

Jason nodded as well. "Thank you."

"Just say my name," Annabeth chuckled, but wasn't amused—she was just trying to assure them. "And I'll be there."

Jason turned back to Piper and they disappeared into the hallway.

Annabeth took a deep breath, but couldn't breathe through the lump in her throat.

Sliders meowed as she sat on the bottom step, staring up at Jason and Piper.

After that, it was so quiet. No sound was heard except for Annabeth's breathing, and even that soon stopped once she realized how everything else around her seemed to stop.

That bad tug in her stomach pulled again, and she could feel it.

Annabeth knew, in that instant. This entire time it was like nature was trying to tell her, but hiding at the same time. Even Piper's children were scared of it.

Slider's warning cry was still in her ears and Annabeth's lips parted a little and her eyes grew wide. She lost all feeling and the clothes basket slipped from her grasp.

In those seconds from between the basket hitting the floor and from when she dropped it, everything…was..._quiet_.

Nothing moved.

Nothing breathed.

It was just…nothing.

The Earth just stopped moving, stopped spinning.

Everything.

Stopped.

Until….

There was a thump that made the fan rattle.

There was a cry that screamed in agony.

There was another cry that pleaded for help.

"_Annabeth!_"

* * *

**Ooh...A cliffy. Well, not exactly, but, you know. :) Guess what?**

**Tomorrow is Friday.**

**I can't even process it. Like, I'm speechless. I know it's been a short week since I had Monday off, but I'm always so grateful for Fridays. I hate being at school because all of my classes are filled with idiots, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to deal with that for the rest of my life. :/ I heard that people are just now starting school. Lucky, I started three weeks ago. **

**Guess what else?**

**33 more days.**

**33.**

**That's only two digits.**

**Two digits until the House of Hades.**

**O_O**

**I can't process that either...I already pre-ordered the book. It's so close, I can almost touch it! It's almost here! Thank the gods! XD**

**Anyways, so please review and tell me your thoughts! :) Have an awesome Friday. Embrace the last day of the school week. **


	10. Fixing It

**Oh, my gods, you guys! I'm so excited to be able to update this chapter! I felt a little bad by leaving you guys hanging, but here you go! :) It is a very, very, very long chapter, so please sit down and read in your own time.**

**I do not own PJO - this story is for entertainment purposes only!**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Percy was oblivious to the store around him, which made Nico have to work a little harder to get everyone's order straight. But Percy didn't pay attention because he knew Nico was doing a fine job.

All he cared about was seeing those stormy gray eyes. In that moment, his eyes fixed on the door, looking out its window, and searching for her walking up the sidewalk, her curly blond hair sweeping through the air in her pony tail.

Excitement built up in his chest, and he had the urge to jump over the counter and pick her up, hugging her and kissing her right when he saw her walk through the door. He was used to this feeling every day and never got tired of it. He always wanted to see her and was always pleased when he did.

But he wasn't pleased now.

Because Annabeth wasn't here, and that made his heart weigh down a little. He glanced up at the clock that hung above the door. It was past noon—that's when she usually came.

Percy thought that maybe she was finishing up something at Piper and Jason's house, and that she'll be here soon. He nodded, trying to assure himself, but he wasn't quite convinced. Percy put his mind to the tables and began to clean up the one that someone had just left.

The dishes clattered as they fell into the sink. A jolt was sent through him, erupting in his chest, and he looked closer at one of the cups. There was now a tiny crack that lined its clear surface.

He frowned and placed it to the side, a reminder telling him that he needed to find someone to fix that. Percy went back to the table just as Nico had turned on the blender and he flinched at the loud sound. Why was he so on the edge today? He fell off his bed this morning when his alarm clock woke him up—he'd never done that before. He still has the fresh bruise to show it.

Percy shook his head a little and continued to wipe off the table with his dirty rag. He lingered by the table because it was the closest one right in front of the door, giving him a good view of what was outside.

He did what he usually did. He searched for her, wondering where she was and why she wasn't _here_—with him. There was a pressure that hugged onto his chest, and his hands began to shake a little.

Percy was frightened by this and he looked up at the clock, leaving the cloth on the half-wiped down table.

Then the strangest thing happened.

The hands on the clock twitched, like they were going to move to the next minute, but then it stopped altogether.

Percy blinked and looked closer, thinking he was imagining it.

But he wasn't.

Nico stopped the blender and even though there were many people there, the entire Café was silent. Not quiet, but _silent_.

Percy stared at the clock and dread filled him like a weight was lying on him, holding him down. That pressure hugged him tighter, his chest closing up. He felt like he was swallowing hot air.

The hands hadn't even reached the next minute. It was in between.

This was strange, and for some reason, it made him think something horrible has happened.

He guessed that minutes had passed, but he wasn't sure since the clock had stopped. And then his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Percy took it out, his hands trembling, and he put it to his ear, turning it on. He didn't have time to greet the person because once it clicked on, they started shouting in distraught.

"Percy!" It was Annabeth, and she sounded scared.

"Annabeth? Wh-what's wrong? Where are you?"

"Something happened! I need you! Come quick!"

Percy immediately took off his apron and he ran to the door.

"Percy!" Nico called in confusion. "Where are you going?!"

"I gotta go! You can handle the shop!" he called back, and he hung up on Annabeth.

"But—"

But Percy was already out the door.

* * *

For once, Annabeth didn't even think. She jumped over the back of the couch and sprinted up the stairs, skipping two at a time. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she was shaking. Her skin felt cold like she'd been put in a freezer.

Her footsteps pounded against the wooden stairs and she sprinted right into their room, expecting to find the couple, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Annabeth!" Jason cried again, and his voice was hoarse and in absolute terror. And from the way he said it, she could tell he was sobbing.

"Jason?"

"Piper, it's going to be all right," Annabeth heard him say. "Help is coming—_Annabeth!_" He yelled more urgently.

Annabeth ran around the other side of the bedroom, hearing his voice coming from the hallway that connected their room to the bathroom. She ran to it and looked to her right, where the bathroom was and her breath caught in her throat and she stopped abruptly.

What she saw was horrible and sad. Annabeth was speechless and she stepped back, the pads of her fingers pressing against the wall behind her because she felt like she was going to faint or be sick.

Piper sat on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, but not making any sound, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. She had her legs spread like she had collapsed to the floor and she was so pale and looked so fragile. Blood was all around her, and she was swiping at it, like she was trying to put it back together.

Jason sat behind her, like he had fallen with her, and he held her, trying to grab at her trembling hands, and saying in between their sobs that it was going to be all right, and that she needed to let go.

"_No!_" Piper shrieked and she choked out a sob and her fingers kept rubbing over all the blood. Her frail body racked and shook. "This can't be happening again! _Why?!_"

"Pipes! Please!" Jason shouted, holding her tighter. "Just stop! You need to go the hospital!"

"No!" she shouted and her voice was louder and echoing through the tiles in the bathroom. "I want my baby _back! Give it back!_"

"Annabeth, help me get her up!" Jason began to stood, almost slipping in Piper's blood, but then he regained himself and looked down at what he had slipped on. He bit back a cry and hugged his arms around Piper by under her arms.

She tried to scramble out, but then gave up, staring at the blood that belonged for her baby, not her bathroom floor. She leaned back against Jason, but still sat on the floor, and she buried her face into his arm and sobbed. "Why does this keep happening to us?"

"I'm so sorry, Pipes," Jason said softly as he cried and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. Then he looked back at Annabeth, who hadn't moved.

"Annabeth! Help me!"

Annabeth couldn't breathe. There was so much blood, so much lost. She swallowed hard, but her throat was dry and ended up breathing heavily. Her lungs closed up and she could feel the tears coming up to her eyes. She blinked them away and reminded herself that they needed her help.

She ran to them and then grabbed Piper's furiously shaking hands. Piper opened her eyes and looked at Annabeth.

Annabeth had never seen a pair of eyes that looked so broken. That looked fragile, made of glass. And she'd seen Thalia's, Nico's, and Percy's after Luke and Bianca's death. They were nothing compared to this.

"It's going to be okay, Piper," Annabeth said. "We're going to help you."

Piper cried and took in a shaky deep breath as she shook her head. "Laney's gone, too. Nothing can help her now."

Annabeth didn't have time to think about what was happening, because all she knew was that Piper was losing more blood and looking paler by the second. She gripped Piper's slender hands and pulled her up.

Piper's knees wobbled and she felt sick just looking at her own blood—at her baby's blood. It didn't look right, how it mixed with the color of her bathroom tile, looking pink instead of crimson red. She felt her body heaving and Jason yelped.

"Piper," he warned out, but Piper fell to the sink and the bile came out of her lips and into the bowl of the sink and drain. She sobbed harder; she felt so sick, and she just wanted this to end.

Immediately, Annabeth was there with a wash cloth and she turned on the sink, wetting it, and then dabbed Piper's face. The wash cloth was ice cold and made a shiver crawl up her spine. Piper must've shortly blacked out because suddenly Annabeth was holding her hands, putting them under the water running from the faucet. The water wasn't cold or hot, and for some reason, the water against her skin felt good. It calmed her down a little.

Jason was holding her hair back, and while Piper stood there, with her hands under the water, she looked up and saw a crying stranger that had died, the person looked strange.

And behind that person, she saw Jason and Annabeth.

Her lips fell apart when she realized that that person was her. She looked so pale and purple rings were underneath her sunken eyes. Her lips were blue, and her skin was almost a yellow color. Her hair was ratty and fell around her face, and her eyes were dull.

She couldn't hear much, because all she heard was a ringing noise.

"Put her hair up, Jason, and I'll find her some clothes and call 911." Annabeth said.

Jason nodded and pulled up Piper's hair, but he didn't have a hair band. He stammered. "Um…"

Annabeth sighed. "Oh, get back, I'll do it. You go find her some clothes." She took his spot as he stepped back and she brushed back Piper's hair with her fingertips.

Piper didn't always like it when people touched or played with her hair. But when Annabeth did it, so calm and so gentle, she wished she was sitting in front of her mirror, smiling, and Annabeth was doing this for fun, not so that it got in the way if she puked again.

Piper saw the pink blood in the corner of the mirror and the sight made her stomach choke again and she heaved into the sink once more. The smell of her own blood and puke was coming up to her nostrils, engulfing her, and her clothes and skin and hair now smelled like it and it wasn't going to ever escape her now that it was embedded into her memory. She began to cry some more, and her stomach still hurt.

Jason came back with her pair of clothes and Piper looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern and sadness, as if she were asking him how much longer she could go through with this.

Jason stared back, and his eyes read that he was sorry. He never wanted this to happen; he wanted to make her better. He gave the clothes to Annabeth, who had just finished putting up Piper's hair into a knot.

Piper had been clutching onto the edge of the sink, but her fingers somehow loosened, but her legs were too weak in that moment to hold up her weight. They wobbled and she fell again. She expected the ground to slam up to her, but Jason had caught her before that contact.

She felt his hands wrap around her and then one arm went under her, and he pulled her up. Piper found herself looking over his shoulder and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, and her legs instinctively went around his body.

He carried her like she was a little kid; like the daughter they were supposed to have. Jason pressed his cheek to hers and carried her out of the room. Her cheek was so cold against his, and he was worried; this was worse than the times before. "Annabeth, get an overnight bag with some blankets and pillows and towels! And anything else you find important."

Annabeth nodded and went to their closet, hurriedly dragging out a duffel bag. She stuffed a blanket they had on their bed into the bag, grabbed a couple of towels that were in the bathroom closet, and she put in shampoo and their wallets and credit cards. Annabeth zipped it up and grabbed their pillows and walked out of the room, following Jason, who was already out the door.

She rolled her eyes. How the heck did he suppose he was going to get in the car without the car keys?

"Do I have to even _think_ for you?!" She asked, but he hadn't heard her as he was out the door and she reached over to the island and picked up the keys and she went to the door.

Annabeth also took out her phone. She hadn't thought about it, but her hand immediately went there. Once she pressed on the phone number, she suddenly realized who she was calling. She needed his help.

* * *

Percy rushed to the hospital. Annabeth hadn't told him why she was at the hospital, she just said that something was wrong and that he needed to come. He drove his car, which he barely drove since it was New York, and it's honestly just easier to walk. But this was a need to be fast.

The windows were rolled down, so the wind ripped at his hair and clawed at his clothes. He didn't care, though, because his mind was set on seeing the HOSTPITAL—EXIT ON YOUR RIGHT sign. Finally, he saw it, and drove around all the other cars and swerved on the road. The smell of burnt rubber filled the inside of his car, but he didn't pay attention to that, either, as he saw the hospital's parking lot.

He turned in, and, unfortunately for him, the entire parking lot was packed. Percy circled all the parking slots, measuring each one to see if it was the right fit for his small blue car, but none was of the liking—especially since there was none.

But finally, on the very back of the right side of the parking lot, was a space.

"Finally; thank the gods," he murmured under his breath and he sped to the spot.

Then his hood collided with the hood of another car.

It sent his head back, slamming into the seat, and his teeth clattering together so hard, his brain rattled. He squeezed his eyes shut, red spots dancing in the blackness that covered behind his eyelid, and his foot slammed on the brakes. The echo of something that sounded like paper being ripped filled the air, and burnt rubber was once again smelt.

He opened his eyes, the daylight blinding him, and he saw that both he and the other car were tilted sideways, in the position to show that they crashed because both of them had hurried to the spot without seeing the other.

Fury raged in Percy. He had to go _now_, and this was only sidetracking him. The other guy should've seen him coming! His blood ran through his veins so fast, he could almost feel the adrenaline. He climbed out of the car, feeling a little dizzy from the contact of the whiplash, but slammed the door.

The other guy got out too. He was a little shorter than Percy, but still tall and lanky—he didn't look very strong. His dark hair was curly, like Nico's, except a little off his forehead, and messier, like brushing it isn't exactly the first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning. He had an up-turned nose, and his ears were like an elf's as they poked from the curls. He had brown eyes that glowed mischievously. He wore the strangest outfit, but Percy guessed he was a mechanic with the skinny trousers tied around his waist with a tool belt and he had a white button-down shirt with some grease marks on it. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

"Hey!" Percy pointed a finger at him. "You little—"

"Name-calling isn't nice." The guy cut him off, rolling his eyes lazily, like this crash wasn't a big deal.

It made Percy madder. He ignored the comment and continued: "I saw this parking space first!"

The man put his hands on his hips, his thumbs wedged in between the pockets of his tool belt. "Oh, sure, because you know exactly when I saw the parking space." He gave Percy a look. "C'mon, man, there's no way you can know for sure who saw the space first. So are we really going to have this conversation like in the movies?"

Percy looked at him confusingly. How could this stranger be taking this off as some sort of joke?

The guy looked at him as if he were serious. "Dude, this is, like, the all-time classic of movie clichés. Where the love interests bump into each other on accident, and then they end up going to the same place, and they meet and fall in love with the extra conflict." He stares at Percy, and then adds on with a limp wave of his hand, "You know, the usual jazz."

Percy blinks at him, still deciding if this was real or not.

The man dipped his head down, looking up at Percy with wide eyes under his eyebrows that were reaching his hairline. "Do you not know what I'm talking about?"

"I don't care!" Percy raised his shoulders and flustered out his hands. "Honestly! I just want this space because my girlfriend is in there and she's in trouble and needs me!"

The man scoffed and looked offended. "I thought _I_ was your love interest! We just did the cliché!" He gestured his hand to the still-empty parking space.

Percy narrowed his eyes at him, his shoulders dropping. "I don't even _know_ you! We _aren't_ love interests!"

"Rude,"

Percy shot him a glare.

The man stepped back and closed his mouth. "You're right, you're right. So maybe not love interests, but I can guarantee you that this means that our lives were going to cross paths soon."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Now, move your car back so I can park here." Percy said as he began to walk back to his car.

"Hey!" The man jogged up to Percy, trying to follow him to his car. "I have someone in there that needs me too! This _is_ a hospital, you know."

Percy ignores him, bitterly saying in his mind to do so because he's holding off time for too long already. He reaches for the door handle on his car door, but then suddenly, that man slips in between him and the door. Percy steps back, appalled, but then he glares at him.

The man raises his scrawny arms and his eyebrows furrow. "Whoa. Whoa, man, chill,"

"Will you move?!"

"No! Because I'm not letting you take that spot! I need it, too!"

Percy was getting fed up. He pressed his lips together so hard, they formed a white line, and he took a deep breath through his nose. His fingers curled into his palms, forming fists.

The other guy glanced down at them, and then rose an eyebrow back up at Percy. "Um, that's the complete opposite of chilling." He moved his hands down, and his right arm accidentally knocked against Percy's side mirror, causing it to clatter to the ground.

This made Percy even angrier, and he gave the guy a look, pursing his lips together.

The man seemed awkward, like he couldn't breathe, because he frowned with his mouth opened. He was stiff, and he poked out a finger, pointing to the part of Percy's car. "I can fix that." He promised.

"You crapped up my already crapped-up car!" Percy yelled.

"Well then you shouldn't have a problem if it's already crapped-up!"

Percy glares at him, and he's confused. He's not sure what to do with this guy.

"Listen, I can fix this, if you weren't being so ignorant." The guy says to him.

"I'm not being ignorant!" Percy counters, feeling offended.

The man gives him a sarcastic, _Oh, really?_ look.

"I'm not." Percy says in a lower tone, suddenly his fists unraveling and his fingers straightening a little, and then going limp by his sides.

The other guy sees this, and his shoulders drop and he can breathe without the thought that Percy's going to punch him in the face.

"Then prove to me you can fix this." Percy says.

The man holds up a finger, telling him he'll be one second, then goes back to his own car, which is a skinny truck with no backseat. It's red, and the sides are painted with flames that say: LEO'S HOT STUFF MECHANICS. He goes into the passenger's seat and Percy hears some clanking around, like he's got some tools.

Percy takes a step forward, tilting his head a little. "Leo?" He asks.

"Valdez here," the man comes back around, holding a bucket. Then he stops and looks at Percy. "Wait, how'd you know my name?"

Percy points to the side of his truck.

Leo looks back and sees it, and his shoulders relax again. "Oh. Right; for a second, I thought we knew each other."

Percy shrugs. "I still don't know who the hell you are."

Leo waved it off and opened the bucket. Inside was white liquid that splashed out of the rim and then landed on the gravel road beneath them. It hissed due to the heat. Suddenly he hands the paint bucket to Percy, shoving it into his arms.

Percy groans and the paint splatters up to him, but he backs away, holding the bucket out away from him at arm-length. "Dude!"

But Leo's not paying attention. His fingers are out, one eye squeezed shut, and he's measuring the parking space. He barely lifts up his trousers before bending down and he takes out a tape measure from his tool belt. He measures the parking space, and then the front of Percy's and his own car. Then he straightens, puts it back into his tool belt, and gives Percy a cheeky grin.

"Good news."

"You're not going to do what I think you are, aren't you?"

"There's no time to think about that." Leo waves around his hands as if to wave off the subject.

"Didn't you just think about the parking space?"

"No. Because I believe thinking gets in the way of being nuts."

"I figured that was your motto." Percy said.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying that I'm nuts?" When Percy didn't say anything, he added on, "Cuz you're absolutely right: I am." He takes the bucket from Percy's hands and reaches into his tool belt, taking out a paint brush.

Percy is too dumbstruck to ask or think about how that paint brush could fit in his tool belt without Percy seeing it sticking out.

"We're going to paint a line down the middle of the parking space, and then it'll make two," Leo is already dabbing the paint brush into the bucket and then taking it out as it's dripping.

"Isn't that illegal?"

Leo scoffs. "Who cares? I'm pretty sure we're both in more complicated situations."

Percy sighs as he watches Leo begin to paint a smooth line down the middle of the parking space. He's there to make sure it stays straight. "You have _no idea_."

Leo stands back up once he's done and he wipes off the paintbrush and puts the lid back onto the paint bucket before putting both back into his truck.

Percy moves and starts to raise his arm toward Leo, and he flinches back, covering his face and yelping.

"Come on, dude! I just fixed our problems! Don't hurt me!" he inches back.

"Leo, I'm—"

"Ignorant and don't know what you're doing? That's okay, I know. Just don't punch me in the face—it's my prized possession."

Percy sighs and rolls his eyes and lays his hand on Leo's shoulder. "I'm not going to punch you in the face, Leo. I'm going to thank you."

Leo's hands slowly go away from his face and he relaxes again. "Whoa, really?"

Percy nods his head, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah, I never would've thought about doing that."

"I know. You don't seem like the guy who apologizes."

"I meant the parking space."

"Oh. Right," Leo smiles. "I'll go park first." He begins to go back to his car, but Percy catches the back of his collar.

"Not so fast. I saw it first, I park first."

Leo sighs. "You're never going to get over that, are you?"

Percy shakes his head. "Nope; because I know it's true." And he goes around to his car and backs up, his arm on the other seat as he's twisted back in his seat, looking out the back window to make sure he's not going to crash into anyone. Then he stops the car and puts it into drive and inches forward, turning into the parking spot. Something crunches beneath his car, and it rattles. He's confused and stops the car, opening his door and looking down to find that he ran over his side mirror that Leo had broken off.

Percy looks up at Leo through the windshield.

Leo looks stiff and awkward again.

Percy gives him a look saying: _That was your entire fault._

Leo bites his lip. "I can fix that."

* * *

Jason is exhausted in just a matter of half an hour. He didn't think that that was possible for a human being, but he was proven wrong when they wouldn't let him near Piper after the doctors took her into some room that had a sign next to it that read "Surgery/Emergency Room. Personnel Only."

He slumped into a chair in the waiting room, leaning down, and a sigh lazily dragged from his mouth. His heart weighed in his chest; he couldn't believe this was happening _again_. He thought, for sure, that this would be it; this would be the time that actually worked. He can't help but think that this is his entire fault.

Annabeth is frantic. Her hair's a mess, and she's on the phone, screaming into it as an apostrophe, "Why won't you pick up?!"

Jason isn't sure what she's doing, but none of that matters right now. Nothing matters now, because there's nothing he can do about anything.

"Finally! Thalia, I've called you thousands of times! Why didn't you pick up?!"

It's his sister, he finally realizes. And he can hear her on the other end, she's screaming so loud.

_"Where the hell are you?! I came back from the store, and everyone's gone and there's blood all over the bathroom floor and puke in the sink! Did someone die again?!"_

"We're at the hospital." Annabeth answers and she covers up the speaker a little once the other people in the waiting room give her looks. "Piper got sick and she started bleeding…" She glances at Jason, who just stares up at her in exasperation. "She lost the baby." She says.

Jason can't hear anything from Thalia. And he thinks it's because Annabeth's covering the speaker, but her hand goes down once he assumes that and he still can't hear anything. So he knows that Thalia is just as speechless as they are.

_"I'm on my way,"_ he finally hears from her and then Annabeth takes the phone away from her ear and turns it off, putting it back into her pocket.

She walks towards him and sits in the seat next to him, her back banging against the chair, but she doesn't care, because her entire body is numb. She can't feel anything, and her emotions are stripped bare when flashbacks of Piper in that bathroom come to her mind. It's horrible, and she closes her eyes, hoping that Piper will be all right. She knows it's a bad thing when she thinks this, but she doesn't care if the baby gets hurt—she just wants Piper to be okay. Annabeth doesn't think she'll be able to handle another death of someone close to her.

Piper is like her sister. She can't even bear the thought of losing her smile that always greets her, or her way of always welcoming Annabeth—not as a servant, but as a part of her family.

Jason leans forward and puts his head in his hands, rubbing his tired eyes and his temples. His fingers feel rough and smell of blood. He takes them away from his face and then excuses himself from Annabeth before going to the bathroom.

There's another guy there, but they soon leave after they wipe their hands on a brown paper towel. Jason walks up to the sink and turns on the faucet. He puts his hands under the water and looks up into the mirror. His face is tired, with dark rings under his eyes. It hasn't even been a day here, but it's still nerve-racking. He doesn't like hospitals; he hasn't liked them since the first time he lost his child.

He sighs and he stares down into the sink, and he can't help but think about when Piper threw up into their sink at home. He groans and closes his eyes, wishing he couldn't think about that, but it's hard not to. All he's ever wanted to do was make sure she was okay. He just wants Piper to be happy and healthy; he wants to take care of her—and that's not what he's doing. Jason feels as though he's failed.

He looks back up at the mirror, at his tired reflection.

Jason hopes to see some sort of sign in his own expression that'll tell him that it's going to be okay. But he sees nothing.

Jason sighs and shakes his head, rinsing off the soap from his hands and then flicking the water off his fingers before turning off the squeaky faucet, and leaving the bathroom.

* * *

While Jason is gone, Annabeth stays and her heart is being held in cold hands inside her chest. Time is passing, but she is impatient, and she wants someone to walk through those doors and tell her that everything is going to be okay.

She stares at the doors of the surgery room.

No one comes out.

But then the door to the waiting room opens.

"I'm telling you, there's no way you can prove that you saw that space first!" a familiar voice says.

"Leo," Another voice says and the sound of it makes Annabeth's heart bound and she straightens. She looks over and finds that it _is_ Percy, and that she wasn't just imagining things.

He stopped and gave Leo, someone she knew from Piper and Jason's house, a serious look as he warned out a straight hand to him. "I know I saw it first. Just stop arguing about it; we already fixed the problem."

Annabeth stands up and smiles a little. She's so glad that Percy's here, because suddenly, that cold hand releases its grip on her heart.

"Fine, then," Leo replies snootily.

Percy smirks and then turns to look around the waiting room. Her heart flutters when his eyes land on her, and his smirk drops and he runs to her.

"Annabeth!" He says as he releases a sigh. His arms capture her and he buries his face into her neck, tightening his grip around her body. "I'm so glad you're all right."

She kisses his cheek and wraps her arms around his firm and slightly bent torso—so he can reach down to kiss her.

"Wait a minute," Leo says as he slowly approaches them with a confused expression. He wiggles a finger between the two of them. "You guys know each other?"

They nod simultaneously.

Leo looks at Percy. "So you know scary ninja girl?"

Annabeth gives Leo a look. "My name is Annabeth."

"Yeah, I do." Percy says as he wraps an arm around her.

"Whoa! You two are dating?!" Leo exclaims, but then a look of recognition settles on his facial features. "Oh, yeah, I remember when Annabeth took off from work to go on her date with you."

Percy's eyebrows furrow at Leo. "So you already knew me?"

Leo shrugs. "Yeah, I guess I just hadn't remembered you." Then he has a look of alarm. "Ha!" He points a finger at Percy. "I told you that cliché meant something!"

"Leo!" A voice exclaims before Percy can answer. It's Jason. "You're here!"

He and Leo share a man hug, clapping each other on the back. Jason turns to Percy, and Annabeth is waiting for him to be confused, but instead he says, "Percy! Wow! Long time, no see, eh?!"

"Hey; yeah," Percy laughs and he claps Jason's back in their hug, too. "That's probably because I've actually got a job I'm sticking with."

"You mean one you haven't gotten fired from," Jason laughs as well.

Annabeth has to conversation, because with each friendly and calm word they speak to each other—as if they've known each other for years—she's getting even more confused. She puts a hand on both of their shoulders. "Whoa, whoa, whoa; hey! Wait a second—you two know each other?"

Percy gives her a look, surprised as to how she doesn't know that. "I knew them since before I met you, remember?"

Annabeth's face breaks out into alarm. "Oh, yeah! It's been so long, I…I kind of forgot," she blushes sheepishly and tucks a blond strand of hair that came loose from her ponytail behind her ear.

"Okay, enough with this meeting-each-other business." Leo interrupts. "When can we go see Piper?"

"I don't think she came out of surgery yet…" Jason trails off and his weight of concern settled on his heart, and it made him _so_ impatient.

Percy's eyes grow wide. "Piper's in surgery?! What? What happened to her?"

Jason frowns and he looks down at the ground, blinking, and he's not sure what to say. Should he tell Percy about all the other kids they've lost? About how he's failed again? Leo can tell that Jason has a lot on his shoulders and he softly claps his hand on Jason's shoulder.

"We're going to go for a walk," Leo says without Jason's permission. "You guys can do…whatever you want; call us when Piper comes out."

Annabeth nods, because she knows what Jason's probably thinking right now, and she's glad that Leo's there to help him out.

Percy mumbles softly, "Sorry…" he turns to Annabeth and says in the same tone, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no," she says hurriedly and lays a hand on his shoulder, turning him back to the seats in the waiting room. She sat him down, and explained very carefully and slowly, since the memories and wounds of her friend were still very fresh, "Listen, what happened to Piper was…"

* * *

"Hey, man," Leo says to Jason after they walk away. "How're you holding up?"

Jason gives him a tired look.

"Right. Stupid question," Leo says and he shakes his head a little. "Listen, you know Piper. She's a strong b—" he stops because he can feel Jason's glare. "Well, you know, she's a strong girl. She can handle anything. I have no doubt that she'll be perfectly fine in a couple days."

Jason shakes his head, and those memories of his Piper, sitting on that floor, broken. Because she knew that everything was gone—again.

"No, Leo. You don't understand. You didn't see her. You weren't there when it happened—when any of it happened."

Leo's eyebrows furrow together and they walk out of the hospital and across the street to a diner. "What do you mean _any of it_?"

Jason's lungs close up and he realizes that he or Piper hasn't told him about when they lost the other children. He doesn't know—this is the only time. There's a diner nearby, and they go in, and order a couple cups of coffee.

"What else happened?" Leo asks, and Jason knows he's serious because he doesn't immediately drink the caffeine once the waiter gives it to him.

Jason sighs and explains.

"The first one was a, uh, boy." Jason cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump. But it wouldn't leave, and it cracked his voice, like how a fragile egg would crack at any harsh contact.

Leo stared at him. "The first one? When was this?"

"The first time we ever told you."

"No," Leo said, pointing a finger at him. "You said that the test had made a mistake."

Jason shook his head. "No, Leo. It didn't. We just told you that."

"Why?!"

Jason tried to shush him down, the lump becoming bigger and getting closer to his mouth, the tears forming. People glanced at them at Leo's outburst. "I'm sorry. We just weren't ready to admit it, okay? We didn't want to worry you."

"Yeah, and how worried do you think I am now?"

Jason stared at him, and through his eyes he asked for Leo to be patient, and to just let him explain.

"Sorry," Leo murmured and he sat back a little. "Continue,"

"This was five years ago," Jason continued, and somehow the lump had disappeared. "It happened one day, and…she was so sick, Leo. I couldn't tell you because then you would freak out and she didn't want people putting that on her. She had just wanted to be alone. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, though,"

Leo nodded. "I understand,"

"The doctor cleared it up and he explained that this was normal for most couples. It happens all the time. But usually, it works the second time." Jason pressed his lips together and he looks down at his coffee. It didn't seem very tasteful right now, and the smell just smelled of something burnt. The only thing he could see was pink—that pink color from the bathroom floor that twisted his stomach into a knot.

"We tried a second time. He was wrong. We lost another baby boy."

Leo sighed a little and frowned, his eyebrows pulled tight. He was never told of this, and now that he is now, it scared him. That's what Piper and Jason had been through? He never would've thought of it, because they were so happy all the time. But, inside, he knew they weren't. They lost the elements that meant the most to their family.

"It was a different doctor that time. Piper didn't seem to look as bad after the surgery. The doctor said that the second time would work."

Leo was confused. "But, that wasn't your—"

"That's what we told him." Jason said, and he still didn't look at Leo—his gaze still stared into the coffee. He seemed calm, but his eyes were sad. "He frowned and said, 'Oh. I'm sorry for your loss,' and walked out of the room. He didn't say anything about the third time working.

"We tried again the next year. This was two years ago. We were told it was a baby boy again, but…when we lost it too, there were twins inside of her, not just one."

Leo's heart weighed inside his chest, and he felt so bad now. He couldn't even fathom about this ever happening, but it was, and his mind couldn't even process it now.

"So Piper wanted things to replace her kids. That's why we got those dogs, and those two fishes, the hamsters and the guinea pig."

"Wait, a guinea pig? I don't remember that."

"That's because we only had it for a couple days. But I think Percy stole it, though, because he came over one day, mowed the lawn, came inside for a while, and then when he left, suddenly Circe left too."

"Circe?" Leo tilted his head to the side a little.

Jason shrugged. "I dunno, Piper came up with the name; said it was something from a book she read, or something." He blinked slowly, tired, and shook his head. He really didn't know who that was, though, so he couldn't really explain.

"Why would Percy—?" Leo cut himself off and shook his head. "Let's not get into that. So, why didn't you guys get a cat?"

Jason blinked, and stared at Leo solemnly when he said, "We couldn't find a cat that would cooperate enough to let Piper cuddle with it all the time."

Leo frowned. He could imagine Piper holding a cat in her arms, hugging it from under its front paws, and its bottom half of its body stretched down. He could imagine its shocked face. He could imagine no cat wanting to be in that position.

"That's why Piper wanted a maid, because after all those animals died, she couldn't take death anymore, and wanted an actual live being to be with her."

Leo nods his head and stands up, mumbling, "Let's go outside," and Jason nods and stands. "And this is where scary ninja woman comes into play."

Jason stretches, bringing his coffee cup with him, and paying a couple dollars to the cashier. He looks back at Leo, and blinks with confusion. "You mean Annabeth? She's not scary."

Leo looked at him, appalled. "Are you kidding me?" He whispered fiercely, "She's got eyes on the back of her head."

Jason laughs a little and they step outside, the bell from the door ringing, and they continue their walk around the hospital building. They're quiet for a while, and soon, Jason throws away his cup of coffee in a trash can.

Leo's brain rethinks about the history Jason has told him, and he can think back to those times when he visited them. He remembered when Piper was just tired all the time, and for a phase, she just didn't want to do anything. Like they'd lost all hope—which they had.

"She was our first." Jason said with his voice quiet and calm, as they walked on the sidewalk that bordered the building, and its giant gray shadow cast over them.

Leo didn't respond. The setting around them was calm, and the breeze softly whistled by them.

"Laney was our first girl." Jason added on. His hands began to tremble by his sides, and the lump reformed in his throat. His lungs closed up, and he breathed heavily. Jason stopped in his tracks and he ran his hands through his close-cropped blonde hair, and the tears came up to his eyes.

Leo stopped and he turned back to Jason, frowning.

"I'm not sure how much we can take, Leo. We've lost them all already. _I _can't take it! It puts so much _guilt _on _me_!"

"Jase, c'mon, man," Leo said softly as he reached out to grip his shoulder.

Jason didn't say anything. He bent down, his heels balancing his body, and his elbows on his bent knees. His body racked with silent sobs and he screwed his eyes shut, thinking it'll drive those images away. The images of Piper's blood on the bathroom, her face twisted with pain.

Leo bent down with him, taking both of his arms and pulling them away from his face. "Jase, it's okay. Just calm down. She's going to be fine."

"You weren't there!" Jason sobbed. "You didn't see it happen! You weren't in that terror!"

In his whole life, Jason had never sobbed. He had never felt this pain—where it tears down his inside, just breaking down all his walls. Yeah, he'd been in the military, but he's always been used to that. He'd been used to losing people, but for this, he could sob for a thousand years and never get over it.

He rocked his body back and forth and his foot slipped, his body falling to the concrete. Suddenly, he found his body forming the position he'd been taught that would help when you've got a headache. He wondered if it was the same with getting flashbacks of bad memories.

His knees rose up and with his hands still tangled in his hair and he hung his head in between his knees. He gritted his teeth, but it didn't work. He still saw all those times Piper had been in pain. His vision swimmed and he saw red spots in that vision. His head was killing him with a migraine.

"Jason." Leo said sternly as he gripped his shoulder. "Hey, you gotta keep it together."

Leo's been with Jason since they were in middle school. Not once had he seen Jason have a complete meltdown like this. He was surprised on what to say or do.

"It's my fault, Leo!"

"It is not your fault! You would never want Piper to be hurt—"

"It's my fault they're dying! She's a great mother and she's not doing anything wrong. It has to be my fault."

"No, it doesn't have to be."

"I-I must be doing something wrong."

"No, you're not, Jason."

"_Then what are we doing wrong?!_" Jason screamed as he grabbed Leo's collar and a spark of anger went through him. This was getting nowhere, and it was never connecting right—but what was the reason for that blockage putting off the thing to make their child alive? What could they possibly be doing wrong?

"You're not doing anything wrong!" Leo yelled back.

"Then why isn't it working?!" Jason cried. He took back his hands and vigorously rubbed his eyes, twisting the balls of his palms into his eyes and temples, because his headache was drumming the inside of his skull.

"Jason, these things happen."

"Does it happen five times in a row?" Jason asked quietly.

Five times. They had gone through this sadness five times. Five different reasons to believe that they were doing something wrong—that they were bad parents.

Five smiles they never got to see.

"Maybe it's just not fit for you guys to have a kid," Leo said softly. "It might just not _be_ for you guys."

Jason didn't respond because he was working on calming his fast heartbeat that thrummed through his ribs. It hurt—his whole body hurt. His shoes scraped against the concrete as he put down his knees and crossed his legs.

"Criss-cross, applesauce," He'd always been looking forward to saying that to his own children. But that would never happen. That seemed like a million years away.

He slowly took his hands away from his face, and his vision moved a little, but then it stood still as he was able to take in the sights around him. The world kept spinning, kept moving on; kept making beautiful things. It may not have created his children, fully or completely just yet, but that doesn't mean that he can't keep living. His children would be disappointed in him.

He had to set a good example for them, so he put down his arms onto his knees, and took in a shaky deep breath.

"You're right, Leo," he said.

"I am?" Leo mumbled softly, but then he cleared his throat and his eyebrows pulled together a little. "Yeah, I am. Thanks for listening, Jase,"

Jason laughed a little, but he didn't want to get up just yet. He wanted to stay here, in the nice and cool shadow, with the breeze pointing at the perfect angle. He wished that he was on a picnic, with Piper, beautiful as always, and their just as beautiful family. This would be the perfect weather for that.

But they weren't. And that's what made him dislike it a little.

It shocked him how sudden the world was so calm, like after the bad thing had happened, it sighed with relief, glad that it was over.

It wasn't over. It still played in Jason's mind.

_Piper had started to shake in his arms, and she made a low groaning noise._

_ "Pipes?"_

_ She slipped from his grasp a little, but then stood back up like a puppet being yanked by its strings. She nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah. Just…take me to the bathroom."_

_ "Are you okay?"_

_ "Just take me there! Please, Jason," She looked up at him, her eyes wide as if pleading or in fright._

Jason should've caught that warning then. Because now, he could still see the light that had started to fade from her eyes.

_He had wrapped his arms tighter around her and guided her to the bathroom. Her hand shot out and flung into the doorknob, and she leaned against it, trying to detach herself from Jason._

_ "Hey, don't you want me to help you?" he asked._

_ "I'm fine. No worries, I'm fine." She said and shook her head a little while waving out her hand. The color started to drain from her face and she went inside, beginning to close the door on him, but it didn't latch itself to the lock just enough. It cracked open and Jason could see a small sliver of her through it. _

_ He kept one eye on it, to make sure she was alright. _

_ All he saw was red, though, as it went down her legs and he had the urge to close his eyes and look away, but Piper fell so hard that the bathroom lights flickered, and she cried out._

_ Jason shot into the door, pushing it open, and not caring if it left a dent in the wall. Right as he reached Piper, he cried out, "Annabeth!" And he fell to the floor as well._

_ Piper cried, sobbing, and she said one thing that made him cry._

_ "Why don't you love me enough to stay?"_

A ringing noise cut off the flashback for Jason, and he was glad for it. His eyes cut up to Leo who looked startled as he took out his phone from his pocket. He looked at the number and the face blinking up on the screen, and he put it to his ear.

"Yeah?" he asked into it, like he already knew who was on the other line.

Jason waited for a couple seconds, and then Leo nodded. "All right, gotcha, we're on our way." Leo brought it down and turned it off before putting it back into his pocket.

He looked Jason in the eyes, the blue fading out a little.

He only said two words that helped Jason breathe again.

"Piper's okay."

* * *

Percy was…dumbstruck. He never knew anything about this between Jason and Piper, and…he just didn't know what to say. _Was_ there anything to say about it?

But he was even more speechless when a girl, about his age, with black hair that was ruffled, and bright blue eyes burst through the hospital doors, her face filled with worry and most frighteningly, anger.

Her glare worked around the faces of those around her in the waiting room.

"Jeez," Percy said under his breath.

"You better get used to it," Annabeth replied.

"Huh?" he looked over at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Annabeth!" The girl said as she stomped over to them. She was about to say something else, but then the girl saw Percy, who still looked confused. "Who's this kelp head?" She asked Annabeth.

Percy shook his head, letting his confused expression fall. "Hey!" He yelled defensively.

Annabeth snickered. "That's Percy, Thalia," she turned to Percy while gesturing to the girl. "And this is Thalia, Percy."

"Oh, so this is the famous boyfriend," Thalia smirked. "Couldn't you have picked a better fish in the sea?"

"Um, excuse me," Percy stood and pointed a finger at her.

"You're excused."

_Agh!_ Percy screamed in his mind. His nostrils flared and his hands turned into fists. He rolled his eyes. "First I had to deal with Leo, and now I have Thalia?!" He sat back down, slumping in his chair. "Jeez, Annabeth, how many more crazy friends do I have to deal with?"

Annabeth patted his arm. "At least you don't have to live with them."

Percy sighed and said in a low voice that he was going to get a drink of water. So he stood, walked around Thalia while giving her a glare, and went across the waiting room. The water jug dispenser was a few feet away from the front waiting door, and so as he was pouring some water into his little, Styrofoam cup, he heard the door open.

He looked over, but saw no person. His eyebrows furrowed at this, but he shook his head and thought he had imagined it. Once the cup was halfway full, he let go of the plastic lever, and pulled his cup away, bringing it to his lips as he turned away.

Percy felt something rubbing against his leg. He stopped—the cup still to his lips. Then he heard something that sounded like a vibrating machine.

Percy brought the cups away from his mouth and looked down. Now he definitely knew he was going crazy, because there was a _cat_ rubbing its face on his jeans pant leg!

"Guys," he called out to Thalia and Annabeth.

"What?" Thalia snapped back at him because Annabeth was in the middle of explaining to her what had happened with Piper.

He pointed to the cat. "Am I seeing things?"

Both Thalia and Annabeth gasped, but the black-haired girl was the one to stand up and run to him. "Sliders!" She bent down to pick it up. "What the hell are you doing here?! How did you get here?"

Suddenly, the doors opened again and Percy looked over to find two girls—one with pale, freckled skin and bright curly red hair, and the other had darker skin with black curly hair. They were both panting and leaning on their knees as if they had run to get here.

"Damn, that cat can run fast," The girl with red hair said.

"Um…" Percy trailed off, not sure what to say.

"And what are _you_ two doing here?!" Thalia said, still holding Sliders in her arm, who was purring. The cat looked over its shoulder and meowed at the two girls.

"We were following the cat!" The dark-skinned girl exclaimed as she waved her hand towards the cat. "Sliders ran away!"

"Sliders?" Percy asked.

"The cat," Thalia said.

"Why would you name it sliders?"

"Because, it's like those flip-flops, you know?"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Those are called _Slides_. Who named it that?"

"I did. So shut up," Thalia glared at him.

Percy laughed out loud and shook his head, mumbling, "Look who's the kelp head now?"

Thalia punched him in the shoulder.

Annabeth appeared and she separated them. "Guys, stop fighting."

"We aren't!"

"Yeah, you are," Annabeth said, "now stop it because we're attracting attention."

Thalia looked at the cat. "You're new name is upgraded to Slides."

"No!" Rachel complained. "I like Sliders!"

Thalia groaned. "Well this stupid-head," she pointed to Percy. "Insists that it's Slides."

"Well, let's let the cat decide." Percy says and he takes a drink from his cup.

Thalia glared at him again. "You're even more of an idiot than I thought."

"Hey!" Percy was offended.

"Excuse me," An unfamiliar voice was interrupted into the conversation. "Do any of you know a Piper McLean?"

Everyone in their group raised their hands and yelled, "I do!" And they all turned to look at who it was. It was a man with a kind-of bald head, wearing a doctor's uniform like he just came out of surgery, wearing lime green scrubs.

He backed away a little in surprise, as he began to take off his gloves. "Well, I only need the immediate family."

"Um," Annabeth said, "we'll call her husband."

The doctor nodded. "Well she's okay, and you can go see her now, if you'd like."

"Thank you," Annabeth said again, smiling, as she got out her phone.

"Wait!" Thalia stopped him. "Is the baby okay?"

He frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry. We tried doing all that we could do, but the baby was already gone by the time she got here. I apologize for your loss."

They simultaneously nodded their heads, and then the doctor's eyes set on Slides.

"Um…how did a cat get in here?"

Thalia and Percy glanced at each other, and then they turned back to the man and said in unison, "You don't want to know,"

* * *

Piper had a strange dream. She stood in front of a window that had sunshine pouring from it and brightening her skin and eyes. She was holding a baby in her arms, cradling it. The dream felt so real, because she was singing to it, and it was grinning up at her. It started to laugh, and then Piper stopped singing so she could look down at her baby and smile back.

But then it started to cry because she gave up singing to it. Its tears turned red, like blood, and it started to sob blood.

She became worried, and tried wiping away its tears, but it wouldn't go away. It was as if it were stained to her baby's once-soft white skin. She began to cry as well, and the sunshine outside began to rumble to a darkness. Her baby's blood poured from it, and it started shaking while it was crying.

Piper was so startled that she dropped her baby, and it cried as it fell.

Before it touched the floor, someone pulled back on her hand, squeezing it, and said, "Pipes, it's going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you."

The glass from the window broke and shattered with a piercing scream, and she turned away, her arm rising up to her face to block the shards of glass from touching her.

The hand pulled her away, the person guarding her from the glass, and all she saw was a tint of blond. Lightning zapped in those eyes that stared back at her.

Her own eyes opened, and everything around her was pure white. She thought she was in heaven, but blinked her eyes again. She was dumbstruck, not sure what to say at first, but then the memories came rushing back into her.

The lump formed in her throat and the tears swelled in her eyes in big groups. Her nose was already filled, so it was hard to breathe, and the tears spilled down her cheeks uncontrollably, calmly, and silently.

She stared at the window, which was swimming in her vision because of the tears. Quiet and small sobs coughed from her throat as she raised a hand to her mouth, trying to silence them. The tears didn't let anything stop them as they mourned for her baby, and they rolled over her fingers.

Piper, in that moment, gave up. With each child she lost, she could feel it inside of her when they were gone, that they had taken a piece with her. Every time they died, a part of her heart and soul dies too.

That last child had taken that last piece.

What more could she do? What more could she live through? What else can she live for, if she can't help her and Jason build a family?

_Jason_. Just thinking about his name, gave her hope. She remembered him, and how even though it's been five tries, he's still here with her. He still hasn't given up on her and hasn't left her side. He isn't tired, or mad, he's just Jason. Unless if he's just playing that as an act, and right now, right this moment, he's planning on leaving her.

As if on cue, the door opened.

"I'm not sure if she's awake or not yet," the nurse was saying to someone behind her. Then she looked into the room, and a smile bloomed on her face at the sight of Piper's opened eyes. "Oh, well fortunately, she is." The nurse propped the door open, sliding a door stopper with her foot under the door.

Jason is the first to walk in. He looks just as tired and sad as she feels, and she lets her hand down from her mouth. His eyes are red, and his pale cheeks are splotchy, like he'd been crying. He's also got dark shadows hanging under his eyes, and a frown settled on his mouth.

But his blue eyes are glowing when they land on her. He feels some energy run through him, and he feels complete. This entire time, the only place he's wanted to be at was next to her, and now he finally gets to fulfill that desire. Jason crosses the room towards her and isn't sure what to do next. He doesn't know how she's feeling, or if she's hurt or disoriented from the surgery, or if she's sad from the loss—or if she even knows about that. So he just stands there, staring at her in concern, worry, and confusion.

Piper's chin wobbles and she limply rises out her arms, offering them out to him. No, it's not an offer, it's a plead—it's a cry for help. It's a symbol of wanting him there with her.

Jason falls into her arms, pressing his face to the side of hers, and tightly holds her in his arms, firmly, and making her cold body warm. He holds her and closes his eyes, and knows not to take this moment for granted. Jason isn't sure how long they've been like this, but all he knows is that Piper's arms tighten around him, and he feels her hands shaking on the back of his neck. He squeezes her small body, just a little, and it feels so much thinner than before—when her stomach was swollen with something alive inside of it—and for a split second he thinks she might look anorexic. But when he pulls back, she looks perfectly normal, like always, and realizes that it's only because of that sudden difference.

The nurse excuses herself and apologizes for getting in their way, but that she has to check up on Piper. Jason steps back, and goes around on the other side of the bed and immediately takes her hand, which Piper had already been reaching for before he got there.

The nurse asks Piper questions, like how she's feeling, if she remembers who she is, if she's hungry, if she feels any pain, things like that as she performs tests on her like taking her blood pressure, checking for a fever, and then checking her IV bag hanging next to the hospital bed.

The nurse gives her another smile and says, "Well, it looks like you're all good."

"That is great news," a deeper voice says and the real doctor walks into the room. He had changed from his scrubs to his usual white coat. He doesn't look at them yet, but he looks down at a clipboard from over his spectacles. He checks off some things, then hangs it on the end of Piper's bed, and takes off the spectacles while smiling at her.

Piper stares at him with confusion. She wonders if, during the surgery, he had lost his mind.

"No, it's not." She says breathlessly.

The doctor tilts his head at her. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I lost my baby, you idiot! You think I don't remember that part?! Of course I do! That's not a good thing, I am _hurt!_"

The doctor nods his head, and the nurse looks hesitant, but she also lays a soft hand on Piper's shoulder, whom shakes it off, because she's mad and sad. She also can't believe that they thought they could get away with it. All she wants is an explanation—and that's exactly what she's going to get.

"Why is this happening?" Piper asks.

The doctor doesn't say much. He doesn't say anything, in fact, like he's at a loss for words.

"_Tell me!_" Piper screams and Jason squeezes her hand.

"This is normal for every couple." The doctor warns out his hands, as if he's trying to calm her down. But she's far from that already, and there's no going back at this point.

"That's what they all said!"

"I'm sure it'll work the second time," The doctor continues.

There is a silence that fills the room because Jason and Piper know a horrible secret that the two doctors in front of them don't know.

"That's what they said the first time." Jason says in a low voice. "They didn't say anything about a third time." He finally makes eye contact with the doctor. "Or the fifth,"

The nurse gasps a little, and her eyes are wide, and the color has suddenly drained from her skin. She steps back a little, and this is supposedly the largest number of miscarriages, Piper thinks. The nurse excuses herself to check up on some reports and she leaves the room to just the couple and the doctor.

"Tell me," Piper repeats, but in a softer voice, because she knows that if she strains her voice any louder, another lump will appear right in the middle of her throat. She doesn't want that—she wants her voice to be strong and heard.

"This…this isn't normal for most couples, to have five losses. I am truly sorry, but what I know is that maybe having children isn't just fit for your bodies." He looks her right in the eye. "I hope you find a way to have a family." Then he's out the door again.

They're silent for a while, and nobody says a thing. Piper isn't sure what to think because that response is so different from all the others ones that she's had. She turns to Jason, who's rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Jason—" she speaks up just as Jason says her name.

They pause and stare at each other, as if asking who should talk first.

"Pipes, I want to tell you something." He begins, and he holds her hand with both of his, wrapping his firm fingers around her slender ones. "I am so sorry."

Her eyebrows furrow. "For what?"

"For putting all of this on you; it's—I feel like it's my entire fault that this is happening to you, and that you're in this position, in this hospital—" he begins to splutter out the words, the hard lump in his throat again.

Piper stops him, her eyebrows pulled tight, and she's shaking her head, taking out her hand and placing them on his cheeks, making him look at her. "No. No, don't you ever think that this is your fault. You heard what the doctor said, basically—it's none of our faults, and it's just the way it is."

Jason is surprised, wondering how she is taking this so easily—easier than he is, more than he thought. He smiles a little and places his hand on top of hers that's on top of his cheek. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She smiles softly and presses her lips to him. "I love you,"

"I promise that, from now on, I'm going to take care of you. Because I love you, too, and I can't bear to see you hurt." He says in a soft voice.

"You're already taking care of me," she smiles softly and adds on, "And you're doing a beautiful job at it."

"Not as beautiful as you are," he says and kisses her.

* * *

After they visit Piper, Annabeth and Percy sit outside on the steps of the hospital. Well, Percy sat and he had a plastic coffee cup in his hand, and inside was his usual seaweed coffee. He knows this is bad for him because it's nighttime, and he should be drinking coffee in the morning, but he doesn't care. He hasn't had his seaweed coffee all day.

Annabeth was sitting, but then her mind got to thinking and she couldn't just sit. She stood up, stretching her long legs, and walks back and forth, pacing. Every now and then, she groans and tugs at the curls that are making her ponytail loose.

"You know if you keep doing that, then people are going to think you're from the mental ward and I'm here to watch over you." Percy chuckles and then shakes the contents in his coffee cup, mixing the seaweed, and then takes a drink out of it.

Annabeth ignores the comment and says, "We can't just leave them like that. Honestly, they've lost five! There has to be a way that they can have their family."

She sits back down next to him, and he sets the cup on the opposite side of him. Then his arm slithers up her back and rubs the back of her neck, trying to calm her down. Her eyes close and she puts her head into her hands.

"Hey," Percy murmurs. "C'mere," he says and brings her close to him, hugging her.

"We have to do something, Percy. We just _have_ to."

"I know we do."

"I mean…_five_ children," she says and rests her forehead against his jaw. "I don't think anyone could ever really live through that without some sort of trauma."

"I know," Percy says as he rubs her back softly. "I know my mom couldn't be able to live through that. That would be horrible—for any human being. Even guys, if they could get pregnant…" he trails off.

For once, Annabeth didn't hear his Seaweed-Brain-like comment, because she's too busy thinking. Something about his mom triggered a memory. She could remember a time when Percy mentioned something about what his mom now does for a living…

She gasped and stood up suddenly, causing Percy to yelp.

"That's it!" she exclaims as if she's saying, "Eureka!"

"What's it?" Percy mumbles.

"Your mom!" Annabeth grins down at him.

"Hey," he warns defensively. "This isn't a time for one of those 'your mom' jokes."

She sighs and rolls her eyes. "I didn't mean it _that_ way. C'mon!"

"Where are we going?"

"To your mom!" Annabeth takes his hand and drags him up. "Keep up, Seaweed Brain! Let's go!"

"What are you talking about?"

She sighs impatiently and she only says one sentence: "Your mom works at an adoption agency, remember?!"

"Oh, yeah," he mumbles, his face frowning, and then its alert and his green eyes are glowing. "Hey, Jason and Piper—!"

"See, now you're catching up," Annabeth says and then pushes him towards the car.

"Don't be such a Wise Girl, Annabeth."

"Just hurry up. We don't have much time!"

_(To be continued…)_

* * *

**Please review! :)**


	11. The Perfect Shade of Blue

**Less than two weeks. Eleven days. Ladies and gentlemen, it's called the House of Hades.**

**So excited! XD**

**I do not own PJO!**

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

Piper has always liked the color of the sky—and just the sky in general. Its blue was so soft, and to so much perfection that it made her eyes look multi-colored and then glaze over because her mind would wander through the endless blue.

She had a grand view of the sky through the window of her hospital room. Throughout the couple of weeks, when her thoughts became damp with tears, she'd turn her head to the side and stare out that window. When she was a little girl, that was all she did—her dad and mother were never around her, always out being famous. But she knew that if she looked up at the sky, they were all under the same clouds as a family.

Ever since, she'd look to the clouds for a need to escape. This was one of those times, because her heart couldn't take anymore breaking because it was already torn. Her ear pressed against her soft white pillow that propped her up in her bed, and she looked out the window. Piper had told the nurse to keep the blinds open at all times—even during nighttime, to ease the nightmares.

The sky was almost cloudless. A few puffs of white clouds hung in the sky that shown in her window, and it almost looked like a framed picture. Her eyes analyzed them, and they began to take form. She wondered if it was possible for clouds to seem to take shape to whatever the mind was thinking; she wondered this because one of the clouds looked like an abnormally shaped heart. It was too big even if the clouds weren't the actual size of a heart.

Piper blinked hard.

This same thing happened last night. She had looked at the full moon, and in the shadows of its face, she saw a mother holding a small child in her arms.

She felt a small sigh escape through her slightly parted lips, and her cold fingers tied themselves together as they lay in her lap. Her IV tube still stuck in the underside of her wrist, and sickening feeling settled at the back of her throat because she didn't at all like needles, and with a rubber one resting in her veins at this moment turned her legs into noodles.

She hadn't been home in weeks. Piper wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to be there again. She wasn't sure if she could step back into that bathroom where she had lost so much blood. That's why she had stayed at the hospital for such a long time, so they could stop the blood loss and find a donor of her same blood type. Piper wasn't sure what was going to happen because she'd never had to go the extent to share someone's blood.

The ironic thing was that Leo turned out to have her same blood type.

He had laughed and slightly elbowed her. "So I guess that means we're brother and sister now, huh?"

"We've always been like brother and sister," Piper replied in a heavy voice.

"Yeah, but now you have my blood. Wait…" his eyes wandered around the room in thought. "Wouldn't that mean that I'm like, your dad, too, though?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "In this case, we're just brother and sisters."

"What, you don't like me bossing you around?"

Piper had given him a look.

"Go clean your room! You're grounded!" he had said, pointing a finger at her.

"Don't forget that I'm still older than you."

Leo's serious face broke. "That's no fair! It's only by a couple months!"

"I'm still older than you."

And now Leo won't ever drop the fact that now they really are brother and sister. Nor will he let her forget that she can't make fun of him anymore because his blood is a _gift_ to her.

The clouds took form as a flower now. And then there was one that looked like it was missing the eyes of the Cheshire cat, only the grin was there.

Jason squeezed her hand as the door opened to her hospital room. She looked over to find the doctor walking in carrying his high and mighty clipboard that held all of her records and his notes on her health. He flipped through the pages with a satisfied look.

"Great news, Mrs. Grace," he says, "you're looking good, and you're free to go home now," He lets go of the papers and they fall back down to the clipboard that they're trapped to. He gives her a smile. "How are you feeling?"

_Tired, sad, empty, scared, dreadful…_

"I'm fine." She gives a simple smile.

"Great, just a couple more tests and then I can release you tonight." He says without another look at her solemn expression, and then he approaches her bed, Jason having to scoot back in his chair for him to be able to ask Piper questions and test her blood pressure.

He leaves after that, and then Leo walks in immediately after he's gone. "Man, this place is creepy. It's all cold and smells a little _too_ clean."

"It's a hospital, Leo," Jason replies matter-of-factly. "What'd you expect?"

"I knew what to expect, it's just that it's starting to creep me out."

Suddenly Thalia pops her head in, her bright blue eyes searching the room. Her eyebrows knit together and she presses her lips tighter together. "Do you guys know where Percy and Annabeth are?"

The three shared looks, asking each other. Piper shook her head.

Jason replied, "No, last I saw them they were talking to each other outside."

"Hmm…" she narrowed her eyes at the ceiling. "I wonder where they went; they're not around here anywhere."

Leo snickered. "Did you check the closets?"

Thalia gave him a glare. "No, that's disgusting," then she did a double-take on him. "What—who are you, anyways?"

Leo cleared his throat and offered out a hand to shake. "I believe we met before, I'm the fire in your heart."

Thalia's glare tightens on him.

"And you're—"

"The fist in your face if you don't stop with the bad pick-up lines," Thalia finishes and she barely moves her hand.

Leo immediately cringes and holds up his arms in defense. "Not the face, not the face!" He cries. "Anything but the face, it's my prized possession."

Thalia rolls her eyes. "I wasn't going to hit you, dude, I was going to shake your hand. My name's Thalia,"

Leo straightens and looks slightly shocked. "Oh…cool name. I'm Leo Valdez,"

"I thought you were the fire in my heart, hot shot," Thalia winks.

Leo blinks and his cheeks blush furiously. "Uh…um…" He stammers.

Thalia laughs and then lightly smacks the back of her hand against his arm. "Don't sweat it, Valdez,"

Leo coughed.

"So what'd the doctor say?" Thalia asks as she sits down on the edge of Piper's bed.

"He said that I'm doing great and will be able to leave later tonight." Piper smiles a little.

Thalia's blue eyes twinkle and their corners crinkled as she gave a kind smile, which was strange for Thalia. "Good,"

"Hey, Thals," Jason says as he stands up and he gives Piper's hand one last squeeze before he lets go. "I need to talk to you outside for a moment."

Thalia's eyebrows knit together, but Jason nods his head towards the door. Thalia nods and slides off the side of the bed and follows him as they step out into the hallway.

"What's up?" Thalia asks as she stuffs her hands into the pockets of her leather jackets.

Before he could answer, Leo sticks his head out of Piper's room and pouts. "You guys are leaving me out?!"

"Leo, it's personal," Jason waves a hand as if to ask him to leave them.

Leo shrugs. "So? You know that means nothing to me,"

Jason sighs and Thalia glares at Leo.

"Then get over here, Leonard."

He glares back at Thalia. "My name is not short for anything,"

"Leonardo,"

He points a finger at her. "_So_ not cool,"

"Just get over here, hot-shot," Thalia yanks on his shirt and he's forced to tumble forward, but he catches his balance.

"So what are we secretly talking about?" Leo asks after he straightens and takes a deep breath.

"Well, I don't think Piper is fully…well yet," Jason says while gesturing with his hands.

Thalia's brow furrows. "What do you mean? The doctor said that she was good now."

"I know, but I think she was just saying that she felt 'fine'. I don't think she's really recovered from losing Laney as well."

Thalia frowned. "I wouldn't blame her."

The ends of Jason's mouth pulled down as well. "I want to make her comfortable at the house. I don't want anything to remind her about what happened, because I just want…all this death behind us."

Thalia and Leo nodded. "You want us to go clean up the house?" Thalia asks.

"Would you?" Jason's eyebrows rise to his hairline.

Thalia nods again. "Anything for you, little bro,"

"Thanks a lot, you guys,"

"Hey, I never agreed to anything," Leo said.

"Too bad, signed you up for it." Thalia takes his arm and begins pulling him away.

"Wait, I didn't get to say bye to Pipes!" He complains.

"You'll see her tonight. You've got to help be clean the bathroom." Thalia keeps pushing him towards the door.

Jason chuckles at them and he turns back to Piper's room.

* * *

"I'm so glad that your mom was able to pull some strings for us," Annabeth says to Percy as they walk back up to the hospital.

"Well, she's my mother," Percy shrugs and cracks a grin. "She'd do anything for her only son."

Annabeth smiles back at him.

"Thalia, will you let go of me?! You're going to bruise me, and my skin is very sensitive!"

"Suck it up, you big baby,"

Annabeth and Percy look ahead to find Leo and Thalia exiting through the hospital's automatic doors.

"Hey," Annabeth greets, "where are you guys going?"

"To Piper and Jason's house," Thalia answers. "We're getting it ready for when Piper comes back."

"She's okay now?" Percy smiles and says, "That's great!"

"Yeah, where have you guys been anyways?" Leo asks, forgetting about Thalia's grip on his arm.

"We were visiting my mom," Percy says as he takes a hold of Annabeth's hand.

"Whoa, are you two getting married, or something?" Leo asks with wide eyes.

The two blush viciously and stammer, "N-no! Why would you think that?"

"Well…you were visiting Percy's mom, like asking for her blessing, or…whatever," Leo shrugs.

"No, we were visiting my mom because she works with an adoption agency," Percy says firmly, to get the point across. "We were trying to see if she would help Piper and Jason out."

"Perfect!" Thalia exclaims while throwing her fist into the air. She grins. "So will she?"

Annabeth nodded, smiling as well.

"You guys wanna help us with their house? We want to make Piper feel better for when she comes home," Thalia adds on, letting her hand go back down to her side.

The two nod to her and Percy says, "Whatever we have to do, I'll definitely help out."

* * *

Piper felt relieved by leaving the hospital. She also felt relieved by being able to wear jeans, and not that thin nightgown that they made her wear. She was also relieved to not have a needle in her arm, because that made her stomach sick every time she moved, because she thought it would move with her. She enjoyed turning her back on the doctor who gave her a solemn smile.

"I would suggest not trying to have children again, just for the sake of your own body," he had advised them.

This made Piper's heart wince in pain, because it couldn't break anymore, but it still hit her. She hated that someone was telling her to give up at something she wanted so badly. All she wanted was to give someone her love and take care of them—she wanted something that was hers _and_ Jason's. Piper wanted to provide something that they could make and share. But this doctor told them no, because of how her body would be.

Piper was a mother at heart. She didn't care if it damaged her body, she only cared that she could give life to someone else.

But all her and Jason could do was nod to him and bite back their protests. Jason had rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, slowing going over them, slowly assuring her that it was okay; that they'll get through this.

The cool wind brushed past them as they walked outside the hospital, hand-in-hand. They didn't speak a word as they walked through the parking lot, and Piper was glad because she was able to stretch out her legs that had been lying down in that bed. They finally found their car and Jason put the overnight bags in the backseat while Piper sat in the passenger's seat.

They drove back home, and still they didn't say a word. They didn't exactly have to; it was like this was something they did normally. Which, they technically did, since now this is the fifth time.

Piper stared out the window, where the buildings and roads and cars went by them. It was nighttime, the sky a dark blue and a calm shadow beginning to pass over the earth as the moon is about to rise. The city is almost at rest as everyone begins to head home after a long and busy day. But the buildings and some people never sleep, so Piper wonders when this city will ever sleep and dream instead of work all the time.

But she just couldn't understand why they were being put through this. Did they do something wrong? Was this punishment for something they had done in the past? What went wrong? Was the one question that stayed in her head throughout all five tries.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Jason says softly, "This happens to everyone, Pipes."

She sighs deeply. "I know. But I can't help but wonder it."

"I know," Jason says in a heavy voice as they stop at a red light. He takes this chance to reach over and wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in. She leans over and rests her head on his shoulder and he presses his lips to her head, rubbing her shoulder by moving his hand back and forth. "And I'm sorry for that."

"You don't have to be." Piper says and she hardens her jaw to stop her chin from trembling. "You heard the doctor—no more trying, anyways."

Jason sighs through his nose and the light turns green so he has to let go of her and continue the car.

They're quiet again, the only thing that they can hear is the tires turning against the gravel beneath the rubber and it makes a low hum. Piper's hands sit in her lap and she looks out the window again.

She wants something to happen. Something to continue on—but nothing's happening, which makes her feel stuck. She feels as though she will never move on, never move past from this, and it makes her irritated. Her eyebrows furrow and she narrows her eyes on the door handle, but isn't actually _looking_ at it. She blinks hard, wondering if something different could've happened. Piper begins to wonder if this was supposed to happen, supposed to lead her somewhere.

Piper thinks about Annabeth, how the only reason why she had ever asked for a maid was because this happened. She began to think that they were supposed to meet, as if like fate. But the only way her and Annabeth ever met was because of Percy. Is this happening to her and Jason because of _them_?

Suddenly, Piper's arm instinctively rests itself on the ledge of the door. Her fingers stretch out and go over the button that controls the window. She blinks and stares at it, then in quick decision, presses it down for a split second.

The window makes a whirring sound as it drops and it makes her heart jolt. Her multi-colored eyes look up at it and she lowers the window even more, but isn't startled this time because she expects it. She makes it go all the way down and lets the breeze come in and wave at her, moving through her air, putting a chill on her skin. It feels nice and fresh, and she breathes in its nature.

After a couple seconds, she puts it back up. She doesn't know why, because she loved the wind, but it's almost as if she knows that it's enough. Piper knows it's time to move on.

And she's not just talking about the wind through the window.

A couple minutes later, they pull up to their house and two cars are already parked in their driveway. She knows its Annabeth and Percy, Thalia and Leo.

Jason reaches over after he parks the care and he kisses her cheek. "I'm glad you're okay."

She gives him a warm smile and they step out of the car. Jason takes the bags and holds her hand as they walk into the house.

As soon as they walk in, Piper is enjoyed because it's not at all quiet. Music is playing and Leo jumps up from behind the couch. "Welcome home!" He grins manically.

Piper smiles and Jason laughs, squeezing her hand.

"What!" A voice erupts from the stairs. It's Thalia, and she's fuming at Leo. "I told you to tell us when their car pulls up!"

Leo blinks and he's not sure what to say. "Um…I forgot I'm sorry!" Thalia glares at him and he winces. "Well you don't have to punish me that badly," he says.

She stomps down the stairs and when she passes by him, she punches him hard in the shoulder. He shouts out in pain and then clamps his hand over the place.

"Welcome back home!" Thalia smiles at the couple.

Percy suddenly appears from upstairs and he smiles and sits on the rail of the stairs and slides down, skipping all the steps.

"The buttons on your jeans are going to ruin the wood, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth says as she also emerges from upstairs. Her blonde hair is sticking up from her ponytail as if she'd done something that required her to do some heavy work.

But Percy's feet are already on the ground. "Oops, sorry," he mumbles.

Annabeth groans and rolls her eyes, but can't help but smile a little as she walks down the stairs, her hand barely skimming over the railing. She walks up to Piper and Jason and hugs them. "I'm so glad you're home."

"_Forget yesterday! We'll make the great escape!_" Leo starts singing a couple octaves higher than his normal tone.

Everyone looks at him and he clears his throat. "I'm sorry, it's a catchy song."

"You're weird." Thalia says.

"Yes," Leo sighs proudly. "Yes, I am,"

Thalia shakes her head.

Piper laughs. "Thank you so much, you guys. I'm really happy I'm home now."

Percy claps a hand on her shoulder. "Good; just know that you're not alone."

She looks up at him, enthralled that he would say that, but then nods.

* * *

"Here lies Laney Grace, where, yes, she didn't get to live her life completely, but she got to know what Piper's insides look like."

Thalia punches Leo in the arm.

Leo coughs. "I meant, she now gets to meet her brothers and sisters. Who have also seen Piper's insides."

Thalia punches him harder.

"Okay, dude, you're going to give me a permanent bruise."

"Good."

"Leo, this is a funeral, not a comedic stage." Percy says.

"Well, sorry, for trying to lighten the mood." Leo counters defensively.

Piper laughs. "It's okay, just continue."

Leo clears his throat. "Laney, a girl that we never knew, but will always remember her. May this flower guide her through the soil in Piper and Jason's front yard."

Thalia just sighed defeatedly and crossed her arms.

Piper couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"I'm sure she would've loved her hilarious uncle."

"I'm sure she would've laughed when I smacked you upside the head for being annoyingly hilarious."

"I'm sure she would've been just as surprised as I am that you actually admitted that I was hilarious."

"I'm sure she would've agreed with me when I say shut up."

Leo turns his head towards Thalia. "Um…you don't know her."

Thalia opened her mouth to yell a frustrated retort, but then she closed her mouth and shook her head. "You're impossible,"

"Oh, please, I'm hilarious," he says and he turns back to the flower that they had planted over Laney's small box. "And may you enjoy being with your brothers."

They stared at the new flower that had been planted by Piper, the small breeze whistling through them. It was that same night, the sky darker and twinkling with stars. They were going to do it the next morning, but Piper wanted to do it that night so that Laney could get a rest and see the stars up above.

Finally, Leo turned back around, and no one said anything at first. Could they just walk away? That would make them feel bad.

But Piper sighed and turned. "Thanks for doing this, guys,"

They nodded in return.

"It's pretty late," Percy says and he begins to take Annabeth's hand. "We should go,"

Piper nodded also in response. They said their goodbyes and good lucks and Thalia joined them for a ride home and then the three were gone. Leo gave them a look. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

Jason chuckled and clapped Leo's back. "Thanks, man,"

Leo nodded. "I was glad to do it,"

Jason wrapped his other arm around Piper and the three walked back into the house, smiling softly.

* * *

Piper taps her fingers on her chin as she stares out at the warm morning sunlight pouring in through their front windows. She couldn't sleep well last night and had ended up staring out at the window like she had done multiple times before at the hospital.

She sat on the second stair and the time was seven o'clock in the morning. This was her favorite time of the day because it was the only time when the sky was a perfect shade of gray. It was because the moon was fading into the background, the sun just opening up, and the sky yawning into a light, calming blue.

Piper brushes her hair back over her shoulder, putting her chin back into her hand and she stares back out.

_Meow_

Piper looks down to find Slides rubbing her forehead on the side of Piper's calf, like she was getting her attention. Then the animal looks up at Piper, her eyes wide as if trying to speak something.

Piper reaches out and scratched Slides' head, which shook her ears. She took her hand back and Slides lifts her head up the stairs. Then she looks back at Piper.

_Meow_

"What?" Piper asks. "You want Jason?"

Slides gives her a look.

Piper turns back to the front of the house. It was quiet inside, where everything was beginning to wake as the sun was starting to touch everything, its rays waking them up.

_Meow_

"What do you want?" Piper asks without looking at Slides.

Slides paws at her arm.

She looks back down at the cat, but there was nothing there. She twists around on the step and sees Slides waiting for her on the ground in the back hallway. The cat rubs the side of her body against the edge of the wall.

She meows again, like she's waiting for Piper to follow her.

So Piper stands up and she begins to descend the stairs with her bare feet. She stops next to Slides.

"Okay; where to now?"

Slides has a twinkle in her eye, and Piper wonders if Slides is really a human being on the inside.

Before she could say or think anything further, Slides continues down the hallway. Piper follows as well.

She knows where Slides is leading her before they get there. She is convinced that Slides really is a person when they stand outside the room that was supposed to be for Laney. The door is closed and there are still shadows hanging in the hallway where the sun hasn't reached yet.

Piper looks down at Slides. "Why?"

The cat looks at her, but doesn't say anything except for a low purr.

Piper turns back to the door and her hand rests on the doorknob. She carefully turns it, the only sound being the twangs of the screws inside the knob, and she slowly opens the door, letting it swing on its own.

She and the cat stand in the doorway for a couple seconds to find that the room looks almost brand new. Everything is the same as when she last left it, but brighter. The sun had definitely touched this room first.

Slides walks inside, going straight to the window where a ledge sits beneath it to sit on. She jumps onto it, her tail hanging over the edge, swaying from side-to-side just a little, and she stares out the window.

Piper doesn't follow her. She walks around the room, where a crib was set up on one corner, a diaper-changing station next to it, and a dresser next to that. One the other side was a playpen sitting on top of a carpet next to a closet. The other corner next to the window had a rocking chair next to a bare bookshelf. The walls were decorated with paintings of animals. The fan had a mobile hanging from it with four little people hanging from it; the others that Piper had lost.

Her hands glide over the side of the crib and the rocking chair and then she finally sits on the ledge with Slides.

Every time Slides breathes, a purr comes with it. It was purr that came deep from her throat, like when a person sounded like they needed to cough. But this was a cat, and when a purr is this deep, it means that they are happy.

Piper looked down at Slides. "Why did you want me to come here?"

Slides still stares out the window, and then she looks up at Piper.

_Meow_

"That's right," Piper frowns. "You're just a cat. You can't actually talk."

Slides blinks slowly as if saying: _Excuse me? _ And then she jumps off the ledge and walks out of the room.

"Wait, I didn't mean to be offensive," Piper says to her. "Slides, come back,"

But the cat continues to walk away and soon, her black tail disappears.

Piper could've followed her. But she didn't; she stayed in that room. She made herself comfortable and sat with her back against the wall, her feet on the ledge in front of her with her knees bent. She stared out the window, where the sun was peeking up above the other houses and through the city life. She wasn't sure how long she had stayed there, but soon, Jason came in. He didn't say a word, but he just sat next to her on the floor, holding her hand.

She wasn't sure how long _they_ were there, either. But they was there to witness people leaving their homes to go to work and come back for a lunch break. Jason didn't have to go to work, though, due to a family emergency for a few weeks.

"You know, sometimes I wonder what it would've been like to actually have all five of them," Jason says in a soft voice.

Piper could see it then: so many boys in the house and then twins and a little girl. She could see Michael pulling on Laney's pigtails while the twins pranked Will. She laughed a little.

"It would be chaos,"

Jason gives a small laugh. "True, but that's how family works, right?"

That's when she realized that they have never known how a family works. They were never able to live through that dream.

"I guess," Piper looks down at Jason, whose blue eyes were brighter than ever with the sun shining.

His eyes meet hers and he didn't say anything except rub his thumb through her hand.

"We should start over," he says.

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrows furrow together.

"Let's move. This house is getting too old for us."

Piper smiles a little. "You really want to?"

Jason nods. "Yeah, it'll be good for us, don't you think? Start over with a new house, make new memories. Maybe it'll help us move on from them."

Piper frowns. "But…they're still out there; they're still growing,"

He shakes his head a little. "And they will help the next person who takes this house. They'll understand,"

For once, Piper agrees. Usually, she wouldn't even listen to that thought of leaving her garden, but this time, she does. She knows that there's nothing they can do, and that she has to move on in order to live with what she has now.

Piper nods and smiles. "Let's do it."

Just then, a holler erupted through the house. "Piper, Jason?!"

Jason's eyebrows knit together. "Is that Percy?"

Piper shrugs and she begins to let her feet down to the floor. Jason stands and holds her hand as they walk out of the room. Piper pauses to close the door. For once, she didn't look back at the room.

"Hey, there you are!" Percy says with a smile as they emerge from the hallway.

"How did you get in?" Jason asks.

Annabeth is standing next to Percy and she holds up the spare key that they had given her when she first started working there.

"Why didn't you call us first?" Piper wants to know.

"Well," Percy takes Annabeth's hand and grins, his green eyes glowing, which told the couple that he knew something that they didn't. "We've got a surprise for you,"

Piper and Jason share a look, both wondering what Percy and Annabeth had in store for them. Then they look back to them and Percy turns back to the door, opening it wider for a woman to walk through.

She has dark hair with slightly grayer streaks hidden beneath. She has a kind face that had wrinkles lining behind her bright green eyes, like she had smiled a lot when she was younger. She looked as though she used to be a very beautiful woman, but time got the best of it. She wore beige slacks and a white shirt with a light blue sweater. On her shoulder, there was a large, black leather bag hanging against her side.

She gave Piper and Jason a warm smile. "Hi, you must be Piper," she looks at her.

Piper nods. "Yes, and who might you be?"

"My name is Sally Jackson,"

"Jackson?" Jason asks.

"Yep," Percy steps up and lets go of Annabeth's hand to put his hand on Sally's shoulder. "Guys, this is my mom,"

"Oh, hi," Jason smiles as he offers out a hand to shake. "I'm Jason Grace,"

"Yes, I know. Percy has told me a lot about you two," Sally says while she shakes his hand.

"I don't mean to be rude," Jason says as he takes his hand back after they're done, "but why exactly are you here?"

"Well," Percy steps up again. "My mom is just like you guys—"

"Hush, Percy," Sally waves a hand at him. "I can talk, you know."

"I know, but I mean, well, I set this up," Percy awkwardly raises a shoulder.

"Hey!" Annabeth exclaims. "This was my idea!"

"But she's _my_ mom,"

"Will you two quiet it? It's my own story, I get to say it. Just like all my other clients."

"Clients?" Piper echoes.

"Yes, dear," Sally looks back at them. "I work for a—"

"An adopt—"

"Perseus Jackson, will you let me speak?!" Sally's voice rose a little.

"I'm sorry, mom, I'm just…excited," Percy shrugs again.

"I know you are, but you have to have patience. This is important, we can't just rush it."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Jason waves a hand, stopping them, and he smiles a little. "Were you about to say—?"

"Yes, a—" Sally stops herself and looks at Percy sideways, raising an eyebrow.

Percy presses his lips tighter and Annabeth is giving Percy the same look Sally is.

When Sally knows that Percy isn't going to say a word, she turns back to Jason and Piper and smiles again. "An adoption agency,"

A lump forms in Piper's throat. She tries to smile, but her lips waver and her hands are shaking by her sides. Her heart is suddenly fluttering, and her stomach flops over with happiness. "Wh-what?"

"Percy told me about your story, and I think that adoption would be the perfect opportunity for you two."

Behind Sally, Percy grins wildly and gives a thumbs-up, nodding his head vigorously.

Jason squeezes Piper's hand and looks down at her. "So, what do you think? You wanna do it?"

Piper looks up at him, the smile suddenly breaking through and she blinks through the tears. "Do you?"

He gives her a look, a bright one that makes him smile a little and he nods. "Of course I do."

Piper looks back and gives Sally a smile. "What do we have to do?"

* * *

"Okay, you two," Sally says as she gets situated in her chair across the table from Jason and Piper. They are at the agency, where they sit in the room they're in now and Sally has to make sure that they will be fit for an adoption. She knows that they are, but it's protocol to do this with every client.

"So," she sighs and smiles as she folds her hands together over papers and files. "Start off with how you first met,"

"Well…" Piper starts and she looks up at the ceiling in thought, thinking back to when her and Jason first met.

"The first time we had ever seen each other, was briefly on a bus." Jason says.

"Yeah," she nods. "When we were both going to the airport. I was going to Paris to meet my mom."

"And I was going to my military base." Jason added on.

"We had to sit together since the bus was so filled; I had to wake him up when we came to the stop."

Jason chuckles. "Blame the jetlag; I had been on planes and buses that entire day. But that bus was my favorite," he smiles at Piper.

She smiles back.

Sally smiles as well. "Aw," she croons, "that's sweet. So then when was the next time you met?"

"A year later." Jason answers.

Sally's eyes widen. "Did you two recognize each other?"

"After a while, when we checked up on each other's pasts," Piper says.

"Where was this?" Sally asks, and there's a twinkle in her eyes that tells them that she's _really_ interested now.

"When we first actually met, it was in a Café." Piper says.

"I was working there for some extra pay after I quit the military." Jason adds on.

"I remember that day, too. I had just come from my job, after a really long day at work. I remember the sky was a perfect shade of blue…"

* * *

**I love Sally; she's amazing.**

**So I have some news for all of you! Lately I've been getting reviews asking for another Jasper story, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect moment! I ****_do_**** have an idea and some of the first chapter written out. **

**And, the next chapter is the last chapter of this story! This has been so much fun writing, and I hope you guys had fun reading as well!:)**

**I will be answering the title of the story on the next chapter, so in about a couple weeks.**

**Please review and tell me what you think! :)**


	12. Finally Home

**HOUSE OF HADES IS OUT!XD Thank the gods...but I'll get to that later.**

**So I was going to work on my other story, Nostalgic, first but then I decided that more people were waiting for this story more so I have the last chapter:) I know a lot of you aren't very happy that this story is ending so soon, but I had never anticipated it to be as long of a story in the first place. Anyways, I hope you feel that this is a good ending:)**

**But do not fear! Tune in for the end-note for the reveal of the title for my next story that I am so very excited about writing:3**

**I do not own PJO; enjoy!**

* * *

_A girl rushed down the busy street, the wind tousling her hair, making her small braids fly. She pursed her lips and glanced over her shoulder—thankfully not finding the person she'd just walked out on—and tucked the wild strands of hair behind her ear as she turned back and continued walking. Her green eyes turned into mint as they skirted around. All she wanted in that moment was a break—her eyes caught the word Café. She sighed with relief shot in between the two people in front of her and slipped inside, where the atmosphere was quieter than outside._

_She slumped into the nearest leather seat, groaning softly as the back of her head rests back on the red cushion. Her face is tilted toward the ceiling and she closes her eyes, letting the stress roll off of her shoulders. She was so tired, her entire body felt bruised, like she literally couldn't move to do any more work._

_She had just quit from her job. Good riddance, she thought. It was possibly the equivalent to Tartarus, her boss being the gender-bender of Tartarus. The snappy woman was much too overbearing for the girl to handle for her first big business. She'd rather quit and have the whole world know she couldn't take it rather than having to stay there and pretend that she was fine._

_ The business didn't even provide the results of her hard education at a college in Paris, where she was just a year ago to meet with her mother, who enrolled her into a fashion school. All she did was sit at a desk and hold calls, not being the person to make them to ask for orders of clothes. She brought coffee to the designers, not drink with them as they sketched new ideas that bloomed in their heads. She knew that that job wasn't the best for her, since she knew the talents that she could do, even if no one else could see it—which it wasn't going to help others see it anyway._

_ She brought her fingers that had splotches of chipped nail polish on their nails to her face and rubbed her temples where a headache began to disturb her head. This was really not the greatest of days for her._

_ The man working behind the counter glanced over his shoulder at her. His blue eyes lingered on her, watching how she looked distressed. His eyebrows knitted up, but then he turned back to the coffee machine, where he drew up the order of the customer sitting in the corner—a woman with light blond hair and big brown eyes._

_ His calloused fingers fumbled with the machine, whereas they weren't exactly wired to work something as delicate as coffee, but still fit for shooting guns. He figured that his entire body wasn't ready for this kind of job yet, but it was all he could afford at the moment._

_ He was glad when the dark brown liquid reached the top of the cup and he turned off the machine to tighten the lid on the top. When he turned around, he found that the new woman who had walked in had adjusted and sat quietly at the table in front of her, staring down at her phone, texting someone. Then she reached into her purse and brought out a thick gray stack of papers—no, he took that back. It was a newspaper. He thought it was strange that someone like her would read the newspaper instead of going onto her phone to look at the current events._

_ Someone nearby cleared their throat._

_ He jumped slightly, startled, and then looked down to find the blond-haired-and-brown-eyed-woman staring up at him, with those large brown eyes._

_ He frowned and put his mind back onto work and walked her order to her. "Here," he said and set the cup on the table._

_ She curtly smiled up at him, giving him a sideways look._

_ But his eyes looked back over to the other girl, who had different varieties of braids curling her hair. He walked away from the now-taken aback woman and approached this new one._

_ He stood only a foot away from her, but she still didn't look up. He lingered there, staring at her and taking her in. Her brunette hair that seemed blonde in the sunlight, her fair skin, the way she crossed one knee over the other and sat back against the seat, holding her newspaper close to her face. The way she read it—her lips moving softly and her eyes darting back and forth. And her eyes—he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but they were startling blue, when he could've sworn they were green before._

_ He shifted his feet awkwardly, swiping his knuckle at his nose. _

_ She still didn't seem to notice him._

_ He cleared his throat._

_ Her blue eyes suddenly met his and her lips stop moving and pressed together tightly. "What?" She asked in a sharp tone._

_ Something about her made him think that she looked familiar; like he'd seen her before, but he told himself that she was just a customer. He straightened and his brow furrowed. "Do you want something?"_

_ She blinked. "Why?"_

_ He made a face, as if it was such a ridiculous question. "Because you're in a Café; duh,"_

_ She set down the paper and crossed her arms over her mid-section. "You don't have to be rude. I'm a customer, you know,"_

_ "No, you're not. You haven't bought anything yet."_

_ She pursed her lips and sighed irritatingly through her nose. "Fine," she dug through her purse and brought out a dollar bill. "What can I get with that?"_

_ He shrugged. "Coffee,"_

_ "Then I'll have a cup of coffee."_

_ He was sure of it. He had definitely heard her sharp tone before. "What's your name?" he asked._

_ She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you want to know?"_

_ He swallowed. He couldn't tell her, that'd be awkward. "Just trying to be friendly to a customer,"_

_ Her hard stare softened and she said, "Piper. My name is Piper,"_

_ He nodded and then turned back to his counter. _

_ She peered at him, and could see how he looked so firm and strict, that he was new at this café. And something about him seemed familiar to her as well, but different, like this was an odd place for him to work. She didn't even think as she jumped to her feet and walked to the counter. "Hey, wait a minute, you didn't tell me your name."_

_ He looked back at her, smiling a little bit as if he thought this were a joke._

_ "You want to know my name?" he asked, his eyebrows rising to his hairline. He scoffed. "I just work here,"_

_ "Yeah, well I just came here," Piper responded. "So, yes, I want to know your name. Is there a problem?"_

_ He straightened after bending down to retrieve a cup. But when he came back up, he made sure his spine was straight. He studied her, wondering what the reason was behind this—maybe she recognized him, too._

_ "Jason," he said. _

_ "Oh. Nice name," She said before turning away. "And don't make it decaf,"_

_ He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am,"_

_ When he had finished making her caffeinated coffee, he approached Piper and her newspaper once again. He set it on the table, beside her arm, and got a look at the newspaper. The only problem was that it was in a different language._

_ "Whoa," he blinked. "Um…Piper, what kind of newspaper you got there?"_

_ "Nosy," she remarked, but she couldn't help but smile. _

_ "Well, I'm just wondering," he spread out his hands._

_ "Okay, okay, it's a newspaper that my mother sends to me from Paris. The language is French."_

_ "You know French?"_

_ "My mother is French. Duh, Sparky,"_

_ He was taken aback, his eyelids blinking hard and then widening. "Sparky? Did you just call me Sparky?"_

_ "Yeah," she said as if it were obvious._

_ "Why?" he asked in the same emphasized tone._

_ "Well, firstly, it's because your eyes." She leaned forward and peered closely at his electric blue eyes. "They look like lightning," _

_ He smirked. "I don't even know you,"_

_ She smiled. "Yeah, you do!" Piper said and she poked him in the arm. "I'm Piper, a customer from this café you work at."_

_ Jason shook his head and smiled as he sat down with her. "Are…are you sure we haven't met before?"_

_ "Depends; have you ever been to college in Paris before?" She asked._

_ "No, but I was at a military base there once. Then they moved me to New York—here."_

_ Piper's head shot up and she frowned at him. "You were?"_

_ "Yeah, I served for five years." He said in a low voice._

_ "When did you get back?" Piper asked, and her eyes were shining with interest._

_ "A couple months ago," Jason answered. _

_ She looked up, as if calculating where she was a couple months ago. Then she smirked and met his eyes. "Well, Sparky, it looks like we really have met before,"_

_ Jason grinned at her. _

* * *

Piper grinned at that memory as she sits on the window ledge, staring out over their lawn. It hadn't been the first time they had met, but it was the first time they had introduced themselves. She remembered everything about how they met. She couldn't help it, but it was just something her brain wouldn't allow her to let go of. And Piper is grateful for that.

She guesses it's kind of ironic that she would think about the first time she met him when they're about to meet their children, who they adopted, coming to their house for the first time. Her heart is pounding so hard, she feels as though her rib cage will shatter.

But it doesn't, because for the first time in a long time, she feels strong. And she feels so loved, and loves, that it's almost as warm as the outside weather. Piper is excited, so that's why she sits in the baby room, where she has a view of their street so she can watch for the car like a little kid.

The door creaks open and she looked over her shoulder to find Jason peeking his head in, and grinning when his eyes land on her. It reminds her of their meeting at the Café, and so she stands and meets him halfway.

Though, they have to travel and weave through boxes on the floor, where they have put the crib, drawers, and chair into boxes to move out. Piper doesn't mind, though, so she easily meets him, her hands sliding to touch his elbows as he encircles his arms around her waist. He kisses her forehead.

"You excited?" he asks as he smiles down at her.

She nods and her lips curl upwards and grow into a grin. "Very,"

"Is it just me, or does it remind you—"

"Of when we first met," Piper finishes for him and nods again. "Yes; yes, it does."

He chuckles. "Good, I thought I was the only one,"

"At least you won't fall asleep this time," she remarks as she rises to her toes and kisses his cheek. Then she lets go of him and walks around him, going towards the door.

He follows her. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world,"

She throws a smile over her shoulder before climbing down the wooden steps, Jason right behind her. She jumps onto ground floor to find Annabeth and Percy there as well. Annabeth is sitting on the couch, her head rested on Percy's shoulder, asleep, and his arm is around her.

"Hey, guys," Jason greets.

Percy shoots them a look saying: _Be quiet, she's sleeping_; but Annabeth is already stirring awake. She blinks her gray eyes open and her gaze meets the couple and she straightens, brushing her curly hair with her fingers.

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm so tired all of a sudden," she says in an abashed voice.

"Oh, don't worry," Piper waves it off. "I wasn't able to sleep last night, I was so thrilled," she sits on the couch across from them and blinks down at the coffee table where chip bags and sandwiches are scattered around as well.

"Oh, were you starving as well?" Percy asks Piper.

Annabeth blushes. "I don't know why…I mean, we had a fancy dinner last night as well," she looks at Percy.

He shrugs and his cheeks furiously blush as well. Piper notices that his hand floats absentmindedly to his pocket and settles on it, as if checking to see if something is still there.

Piper looks over at Jason, who looks a little surprised as well, but his look assures her that he'll explain later.

She nods and turns back to them.

Percy is looking at them with wide eyes, and Annabeth is brushing crumbs off of her shirt, so Percy knows she can't see his emphasized look.

Jason shrugs, his brow furrowed, and raising his hands a little, as if asking a question.

Percy shrugs too and he frowns in distraught, as if saying he had no choice.

Piper is confused with this because she's not sure why they're doing this. She guesses it's something between them, but about Annabeth, since once she turned back toward them, they sit back with poker faces.

Annabeth stands up and takes the bags of chips and wadded-up napkins with her and walks toward the kitchen. "I'll just clean up…" she mumbles.

Percy and Jason shoot Piper a look, and she's taken aback still, still wondering the concept of this, but she takes this as her cue to leave. "I'll, um, help you," she stammers. Percy is now calm, so she knows that that's what he wanted.

"No, it's fine; I'm your maid, anyways,"

"Today's your day off. I insist." Piper declares as she picks up the leftover trash and food that Annabeth left behind on the coffee table and she follows the blonde into the kitchen.

"Okay, you guys take care of that," Percy calls out to them.

Annabeth scoffs. "Nice to know you're helping,"

"And could you make me a cup of seaweed coffee?" He adds on with a naïve smile.

Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Get it yourself!"

"Love you, Wise Girl!"

"Yeah, yeah," she says, but Piper can see the grin forming on her lips and the blush on her cheeks.

But Percy doesn't respond because he and Jason immediately launch into a hushed conversation. Jason pulls him further away so they can talk and his face is set in a serious tone, whereas Percy has his shoulders up to his ears and his arms waving around.

Piper narrows her eyes at them, trying to hear what they're up to, but then Annabeth turns on the sink and begins washing off a plate that she had used.

"So what time did the adoption agency say they would bring them over?" Annabeth strikes up a conversation.

"Oh, about noon, so…any minute now," Piper responds as she shares a quick glance toward the clock on the microwave.

"Ooh, exciting," Annabeth comments, but doesn't say very enthusiastically. Her voice is heavy like she's dreading something.

"Um…are you okay?" Piper asks as she takes the dish and puts it into the dishwasher.

Annabeth draws in a long and deep breath. "Never better," she mutters.

"Doesn't sound like it,"

"It's just that I'm not…feeling so well," Annabeth says and her hand goes to her stomach, resting on her hip.

"What's wrong?" Piper asks with her tone filled with concern.

Annabeth opens her mouth to respond, but then there's a glow that slowly circles the walls of the house, like the reflecting of a car from the sunlight that's pulling into their driveway. Jason's head snaps back and Percy peers behind him to find that there is indeed a little black car now sitting in their driveway.

"They're here," Jason announces with a grin.

Piper immediately loses all feeling in her body and she can feel her heart quickly picking up all the pieces that had been cut out when she lost her last child.

She gasps, her breath hitching in her throat. Just as she does that, Annabeth groans and her face is contorted into a painful knot as she slightly bends forward and clutches her stomach.

Piper is about to ask if she needs help, but suddenly Annabeth darts off, sprinting in the direction of the bathroom.

Piper and Percy share a look of concern and worry and shock and Piper sprints off as well, following Annabeth. Percy clambers over the couch and coffee table and hurries to catch up.

By the time that Piper reaches the bathroom Annabeth had run to, she finds her friend leaning over the toilet, retching into it.

"Annabeth!" Piper cries and she immediately hurries over and takes her hair out of her face. "Oh, my gosh, what's wrong? Did you—"

"I have no idea," Annabeth croaks. "It's just been like this practically every morning…"

Comprehension floods Piper's mind and she pieces together her observations: being hungry, tired, and now throwing up…

"Annabeth, I…" Piper started to say, but then realizes that her friend needs her help. So she cuts herself off and reaches over for a wash cloth and wets it in the sink and gives it to Annabeth to wipe her mouth. Annabeth stands shakily as Piper flushes the toilet, getting rid of the scene, and then gets another wash cloth and Annabeth's tooth brush.

"Thanks," Annabeth says as Piper rests the new wash cloth on the back of her neck to calm her down.

She's almost done brushing her teeth when Piper says, "Annabeth, I think you're pregnant."

Annabeth spits out toothpaste. "_What!_" she shrieks.

Piper nods. "It explains why you're hungry and why you threw up,"

"This can't be possible," she murmurs and quickly washes her mouth out with water.

"Wow," A numb voice says behind them.

Piper turns around to find Percy standing in the doorway, his hands hanging limply by his side, and his eyes wide and brightly green.

"Percy—" Annabeth starts. "I—" but she's at a loss for words.

Percy shakes his head. "No," he says, "no it's fine…it's actually perfect timing,"

Annabeth is confused, her brows furrowing. "What do you mean, perfect timing?! I am going to have a kid and that's all you can say?!"

Finally, Piper figures it out just as he reaches into his pocket and takes out a small black box.

Annabeth takes a step back and her mouth drops.

Percy opens his mouth to ask the question, but Annabeth shakes her head. "No," she says.

He looks hurt, like he'd been stabbed in the gut. "Wh-what?" his voice shakes.

"You don't even have to ask," she says with a smile and lunges forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and kisses him.

He smiles against her lips and wraps his arms around her and kisses her more. He pulls back to say, "Good, I thought so,"

"You're such a Seaweed Brain,"

"Speaking of which, I haven't gotten my coffee yet,"

"Get it yourself, you do make coffee for a living." She retorts with a smile.

_Yeah_, Piper thinks with a smile, _they don't need rings to tell people that they're married._

Annabeth lets go of him long enough for Percy to take out the simple, yet shiningly beautiful ring and slip it onto her finger.

"Well," a new voice says by the doorway. Piper looks back again to find Jason standing there with a baby girl in his arms and a small boy standing at his legs. "Way to steal our thunder, you guys,"

There is a shock that shocks through Piper's head and it zaps goosebumps onto her arms. A gasp is torn through her throat and she grins so large that her cheeks hurt. She walks past Percy and Annabeth and leans down in front of the little boy.

"Hi," is all she can say at that moment.

"Hi," he responds in a childish and low voice. There's a small smile making his lips curve and his brown eyebrows rise. His hair is light brown, like his eyebrows, and short-cropped, and his eyes big and brown.

"What's your name?" She asks softly.

"Sam," he replies in a small voice again, but he looks more comfortable.

"Hi, Sam, I'm Piper," she gives him a grin.

"You have a nice smile," he says.

She laughs. "Why, thank you," then she glances up at the little girl in Jason's arm. "And who's this?"

"My sister," Sam says. "Julia,"

Piper stands and Jason lets Piper hold Julia. Piper and Jason share a steady look, their eyes connecting, and she knows, by the warmth that surrounds all four of them, that they're finally getting to experience what a family should be—together, not lost.

Julia's eyes are big and bright blue and she's only about a year or two old. Piper holds her in her arms and she smiles down at Julia. Those bright blue eyes study her, and then a giggle flies from her mouth and she smiles back at Piper.

"She does that a lot," Sam says.

Jason pats his shoulder and says, "It's definitely something I'd be glad to get used to,"

Sam gives him a toothy grin and he reaches up and grips the belt loop on Jason's jeans. "I'm so glad to have a home now," he says.

"It's only temporary, little man," Jason says and he looks down at Sam. "In a couple months, we're moving to a new house; and we're all going to start over. As a new family,"

"So who's going to take this house?" Sam wants to know.

Percy takes Annabeth's hand, and he likes that he can feel the diamonds on her engagement ring. "We'll take it," he says.

"What?" Annabeth's eyes are widened as she stares at him.

"Who are you?" Sam asks them.

"I'm Annabeth," she says and she points to Percy. "And this is Seaweed Brain. He's got a habit like your sister—making plans without telling me before hand."

"Aw, you're smart enough to figure it out on your own," Percy grins as he rubs her back.

"I'm pregnant with your baby. You don't want to mess with me."

He kisses her cheek.

"Wow," Sam marvels as he stares up at Percy. "Your mom and dad actually named you Seaweed Brain? That's such a cool name,"

The four of them start laughing and Percy leans down in front of Sam. "Nah, little dude," he says, "my name's Percy. My fiancée was just joking around,"

Sam's face falls. "Oh. Well Percy's still a cool name,"

Percy smiles. "I'm glad you think so,"

"Well, Sam, Julia, let's show you around the house…" Piper trails off as she and Jason lead him away from the bathroom.

* * *

_Her toes kept bumping into the seat in front of her as her leg kept pumping, with her one knee over the other. She was nervous to get off the bus, for some reason. Her hands wrung in her lap, her senses on high alert. The guy in the seat across the aisle was on the phone, talking to his business. The woman diagonal from her was reading a book, her teenage daughter next to her had her nose buried in her phone instead. The man in front of her was sitting calmly. But everyone began to put away their things and bags and sat up as they saw the bus coming up to the stop. They'd been on here for at least an hour from the airport._

_ Then she felt something against her shoulder. She jumped, nearly startled out of her skin, and looked over to find that the man sitting next to her had fell asleep, and his head wondered over and was now resting on her. She relaxed her hand that was clamped onto the arm rest, but then tensed again. Now she was in an awkward situation and had to wake this guy up. A stranger…_

_ She poked his arm. He didn't move, so she poked him harder. He still didn't move, and she began to think that he was dead. She stared at his chest and watched it rise and fall, and she quickly waved off that thought. _

_ She wriggled her shoulder, thinking maybe if it fell off, he'll suddenly wake up. But there was no way she could jostle her shoulder hard enough to make his head fall off._

_ "Hey!" She scolded in a slight whisper as she jabbed her finger at his stomach. _

_ He suddenly jerked up and his hands flew to his stomach, and he cringed like someone had just tickled him. He looked around, his blue eyes in a daze. "What…?"_

_ "You fell asleep," she said._

_ "Oh," he blinked and rubbed his eyes hard. He straightened, his purple shirt raising a little, stretching his back and then ran a hand through his close-cropped blonde hair. "Thanks for waking me up,"_

_ She nodded and murmured, "No problem,"_

_ He sighed and blinked drowsily as he reached below his seat to grip the handle of his bag._

_ The girl sat up as well, quickly getting her purse and her two suitcases. The old tires whined as they were reined to a stop and everyone stood up at once. The girl decided it would be easier if she got off last since she had so much baggage. _

_ She looked over at the man who was standing in the seat next to her. "Sorry…" she mumbled._

_ He shook his head, his eyes wide with innocence. "No, it's okay. I don't mind,"_

_ "Thanks," she said and they patiently waited in the sidelines as the other riders filed through the aisle and clambered off the bus. _

_ Finally, when they were the only ones left, the girl hauled up her suitcase, her purse already on her shoulder._

_ "Here, you want me to help you?" the man asked._

_ "Would you?" She asked with a smile._

_ He nodded and reached down to pick up the other suitcase. He lifted up his own bag and they walked off the bus. Once they stood on the sidewalk, the double doors closed and then it drove off, leaving only the bus stop sign. _

_ The girl offered out her hand to take her suitcase back. "Thank you, again," she said._

_ "You're welcome," he said. "Do you…need a cab?"_

_ "Oh, I'll get it, but thanks," she said._

_ He nodded. "Take care," _

_ "You, too,"_

_ He gave her a smile and then turned around and walked off carrying his duffel bag that had a camouflage military style to it. She sees the word: _Grace_ embroidered in it with a deep purple thread._

_ She shrugged and then gripped the handles of her suitcases and walked in the other direction. She hadn't known it then, but that moment was when her life truly started._

* * *

_Years later…_

Percy almost stumbles into the couch when he feels two bodies run through his legs. "Whoa!" He exclaims as he lurches forward.

"Percy!" Jason cries as he tries to keep hold of the other side. "Keep it steady! It's gonna drop!"

"I'm sorry, we're being attacked!" Percy cries as Sam jumps up and lands on the couch. His friend, Jake, also jumps up onto it.

Sam laughs. "This is so comfortable!"

"You're welcome," Percy said through clenched teeth so he could carry all the weight that was now in his arms. "Because your dad and I are strong enough to carry all of it!"

"Not for long!" Jason cried.

"You got this, Jason!" Percy said and they stumbled back through the doorway of Jason and Piper's new house.

"Set it right over there," Percy heard Annabeth's voice direct. He looked over to find her with a swollen stomach and her blond hair wrapped up into a bun. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before continuing to set the couch down where she wanted it to be. They slowly and gingerly bent down to set the blue couch on the carpet in front of the TV.

"Jason, come here!" Piper says from another room. "You have to help me put together Julia's bed!"

"Back in a flash," he breathes heavily and he lightly jogs into a new hallway, following her voice.

Percy sighs and he sits down on the other couch in between the two girls—Julia, and Rachel—his and Annabeth's daughter. Sam and Jake are now laughing and playing their games on the couch he and Jason had just sat down. So he sits with the two young girls, his arms draped over the back of the couch, and he looks over at Julia, his eyebrows raised.

"How's it going?" he asks, even though he knows that she can't fully talk yet. "Good?"

She giggles.

Percy keeps his poker face and he looks over at Rachel. "What about you?"

She stares up at him with her wide gray eyes.

"Nothing?" he asks.

Annabeth's face is suddenly right above his. He cranes his head back and looks up at her smirking face. She crosses her arms right underneath his neck on top of the couch, and sticks out her hip.

"What about you, dear?" He asks. "Good?"

"Oh, I could go for some seaweed coffee right about now," she says.

"I should've never gotten you hooked on that,"

"Uncle Percy," Sam says.

Percy brings his head up and raises his hand. "Here," he says nonchalantly.

Sam chuckles, but then he straightens his face. "Um, what's seaweed coffee?"

"No," he points a finger at Sam. "I am not ever feeding you that and I will make sure your parents don't either,"

"Why not?"

"It'll lead you to some weird places," he says.

Suddenly, Slides jumps up onto the coffee table and meows. Percy looks at her and then shouts, "Thalia, get your butt in here already!"

"Who's Thalia?" Sam asks.

"Three…two…one…" Percy counts and then he points to the door.

It slams open and there stands the girl with Jason's eyes and black spiky hair. "That dang cat! Where the heck are you going?!" Then she looks around. "Oh, hey—whoa. What the hell did I miss?"

"Ooh…" Jake stretched the word. "You just said a bad word…"

Thalia walks up to Slides and ruffles his hair as he runs out of the house and back to his own next door. She then messes up Sam's hair. "Yes, so don't ever look up to your Auntie Thalia,"

Sam shakes his head, brushing his hair with his finger, and points to her but looks at Percy. "She's my aunt?"

"And don't ever listen to a word she says," Percy says, "Because they're usually very bad,"

"What Percy means to say is that we have a very big family," Annabeth says.

Thalia picks up Slides in her arms and scratches the cat's head. "This cat is like a human," she says, "she like, reads your mind and takes you places."

"And a weird family at that," Percy adds onto Annabeth's statement.

Thalia smacks his arm in response.

Jason and Piper come back in and sit next to Sam. Jason puts his arms around both Sam and Piper. He looks at Percy, who tilts his head back in recognition. "'Sup, dude,"

Jason tilts his own head back. "Hey," he still breathes heavily from hurrying back to the living room.

"Well, in celebration of your new house," Thalia says as she sits on one of the couches. "We'll order pizza!"

There are some joyful cheers, ready to relax and eat food after a long day of moving around large furniture.

"And you're paying," she adds on.

"I totally expected that," Jason says.

Piper looks around and finds herself smiling as she realizes that they really are like one big family, even if they aren't really related. She had never seen this before, she'd never been a part of something like this without something coming in and ruining it. But now, she can tell. She knows that her life really did start—with everyone else—from that moment she stepped off the bus.

She also realizes that the only way she could actually prove herself of this, how she knows for sure that this is where she belongs, is because she knows she'll do anything to take care of what she has; and that they'll do the same as well. No more death, no more loss, no more screwed-up endings. Just her and her family.

THE END.

* * *

**Please review if you enjoyed this story!**

**And, my next story is going to be called: Dreams Make Miracles.**

**Summary: All Jason's ever wanted to do since his incident was study the brain and how it worked. All Piper's ever wanted to do since she found out about her illness, was find a cure to her brain cancer and fulfill all the items on her bucket list. They know they'll need each other one way or another, but will their own dreams get in the way? They can only hope for the best and wait for a miracle. AU.**

**Obviously, it'll be a Jasper story, and it's a plot that has been attacking my mind for such a long time!**

**Thirdly, has anyone finished the House of Hades yet? I have! If you have, Please, I beg of you, PM me so we can fangirl! None of my friends have finished it yet and I haven't been able to freak out about its contents yet! It's going to kill mee...**

**But if you haven't read it, or are now, or haven't even gotten the book yet, then I apologize for making you frustrated. But, take my word when I say that IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. You will love it. It honestly doesn't matter whether someone spoils it for you or if you can't read it until Christmas, because the fact that you're able to read it and can actually feel the emotions from it, is the greatest gift from it.**

**And lastly, I want to thank EVERYONE for following, favoriting, reviewing, and for that one awesome person who put this story in their communityXD Thank you so much! I love all my readers, cuz you guys are awesomely amazing.**

**Until the next story... :)**


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